The Tournament Of Champions
by Lucina154
Summary: Cynthia invites Ash and his friends to watch her as she competes in the Tournament Of Champions; where the Champions of the Kanto (Lance), Hoenn (Steven Stone), Sinnoh (Cynthia), Unova (Alder), and Kalos (Diantha) Regions compete to see who's the best of the best. Takes place after Kalos - No Alola Region


***** I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters mentioned in this story. All characters and locations belong to their rightful owners*****

**The Tournament Of Champions**

It was a beautiful day in Pallet Town and a certain boy was just waking up for the day. Ash Ketchum had just returned home from the Kalos Region after competing in the League. Clemont was fast asleep in his sleeping bag on the floor while Serena and Bonnie were in the living room. Delia Ketchum had offered for Ash's friends to come stay for a while as they considering exploring the Kanto Region. Clemont sat up and rubbed his eyes before slipping his glasses on and yawning.

"Morning, Clemont!" Ash said as he stood up and stretched.

"Morning, Ash. Wow… I didn't realize how tired I was!" Clemont laughed as he stood and stretched. "That trip really took a lot out of me."

The two boys washed up, got dressed, and made their way into the kitchen where Delia and Serena were cooking breakfast and Bonnie was sitting on the couch fixing her hair.

"Good morning lazy bones!" Serena greeted them. "Guess you guys were more exhausted than you thought!"

"Ashey! Come sit, dear!" Delia chirped as she put a fresh plate of pancakes on the table. Serena was right behind with a plate of freshly cut fruit.

Ash and Clemont took a seat and Bonnie skipped over to the table. She picked up a strawberry with her fingers and popped it in her mouth.

"Bonnie! That's rude. Use your fork!" Clemont scolded.

"Oh, no worries at all! Delia smiled. Once everyone was seated and had food on their plates, Delia took a seat as well.

"So, where are you guys going to go in Kanto?" Delia asked.

"I'm not really sure yet!" Clemont responded.

"Are you guys gonna keep traveling together?" Ash asked between bites of food.

"I'm ok with it!" Clemont said.

"Me too!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Hey Ash… what are you going to do now?" Serena asked him.

Ash paused. "I'm… not really sure right now." He said in a quieter tone.

The gang continued to eat their breakfast until there was a knock at the door. Mr. Mime opened it to reveal Tracey standing there.

"Ash! I'm glad to see you" he smiled.

"Tracey! It's good to see you again!" Ash stood from his seat and ran over to his friend. "What are you doing here?"

"I came by last night but you were all asleep already. I figured I would try again in the morning. Professor Oak asked me to come grab you guys. He received a phone call last night from someone you know, and it's about something you may be interested in." Tracey informed.

"Oh! That's great! Let's head over right now!" Ash exclaimed.

"Right now?" Serena asked.

"I'll meet you guys over there! I still have some errands to run." Tracey said as he began to leave.

"Ok! Bye Tracey!" Ash called.

"You're serious, Ash? You've barely spent any time home!" Clemont said.

"Yeah. I can't wait to see what Professor Oak has to tell us! This could be a whole new adventure!" Ash said.

Delia appeared from the hallway with Ash's backpack - once again fully stocked. She also gave him a new red hat that he could wear.

"I know what Professor Oak is going to tell you! But I promised him I would let it be a surprise. But you'll want to adventure." Delia said with a small smile. She was sad he was leaving but she knew it's what he really wanted to do.

"Thanks Mom!" Ash gave her a hug before setting out towards Professor Oak's Lab.

"Thank you again, Mrs. Ketchum!" Bonnie, Clemont, and Serena called.

"Bye everyone! Ash, don't forget to change your 'you know what' everyday, honey!"

Ash fell to the floor upon hearing this but quickly stood again.

"Your mom is so sweet!" Bonnie exclaimed as they walked towards the lab.

"She's great… and always so supportive!" Ash agreed.

They walked in silence the rest of the way to Professor Oak's Lab. When they arrived, they were greeted by all of Ash's Pokémon who tackled him to the ground in hugs.

"Woah, Ash! These are all your Pokémon?" Serena asked in awe.

"Yep!"

"Ash! Welcome home!" Ash looked up to see Professor Oak headed his way.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu was on Professor Oak's shoulder.

"Your Pikachu has grown immensely since the last time I examined him. He's also in tip top shape health wise." Professor Oak's said.

"Thanks for giving him a quick check up!" Ash thanked Professor Oak and stood up.

"Can I stay out here and play with the Pokémon!?" Bonnie asked as Ash's Bayleef laid down and snuggled into Bonnie's lap.

"Sure." Ash responded.

"I'll stay with her to make sure she doesn't cause and problems." Clemont said sitting down.

"So, Tracey said there was someone who needed to talk to me?" Ash asked as the professor led him and Serena into the lab.

"Yep!" Professor Oak pressed a few buttons and the computer lit up. On the other end of the line was none other than the Sinnoh Champion herself.

"Cynthia!" Ash greeted excitedly.

"Hi Ash." She said with a smile.

"No way! You're… Champion Cynthia!" Serena exclaimed. "Ash! You know Cynthia!?"

Ash smiled and nodded.

"Ash and I became friends while he was on his journey in the Sinnoh Region. Him, Dawn, and Brock helped me out quite a bit." Cynthia spoke. "I'm not sure we've met."

"Where are my manners!?" Serena exclaimed worriedly. She then bowed at the screen.

"My name is Serena! I'm from Kalos. It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am!"

Cynthia chuckled slightly. "Just Cynthia is fine. It's nice to meet you, Serena."

"So what did you have to tell me, Cynthia?" Ash asked.

"Alder, Diantha, and I are having a series of battles later this month. It will be recognized by the League. Mr. GoodShow is calling it the Tournament of Champions. It'll determine who is the top Champion of the competing regions." Cynthia explained.

"No way. That'll be amazing! But… how does that involve me?" Ash asked.

"I wanted to invite you and your friends to come watch. It'll be a big event. Each Champion gets a special viewing box they can invite their friends into and I was hoping you and your friends would come." Cynthia offered.

"That'll be amazing! Thanks so much!" Ash said.

"Dawn and Brock are here in the Sinnoh Region now. I met up with them a couple days ago actually." Cynthia told Ash.

"Oh! That'll be great to get to see them again." Ash said.

"Will you be battling Diantha?" Serena asked.

"I'm not sure yet. The brackets have not been made and we're still waiting to hear back from Steven of the Hoenn Region and Lance from the Indigo League." Cynthia said. "Though I have to say, I'd love to get to battle her Gardevior."

"Where is it?" Ash asked.

"The Sinnoh League." Cynthia told him. "I have been training in Eterna Forest. Gardenia was kind enough to close the forest temporarily so that I could train in private. If you meet me there in 3 days, we will be able to catch up a bit before the Tournament. I know once it begins I will not have a lot of spare time. I have to run, but I do hope to see you there!"

"You bet!" Ash said before hanging up.

"I can't believe you are friends with Cynthia!" Serena exclaimed again. "She seems so sweet!"

"She is. When Iris and Cilan and I were in Unova she let us stay at her villa there to train." Ash explained leading Serena back outside where Bonnie, Clemont, Tracey, and Professor Oak were chatting.

"So did you get to chat with Cynthia?" The professor asked.

"I sure did. I'm going to head to the Sinnoh League right away." Ash exclaimed.

"That sounds like a great experience, Ash. I'm sure you could also learn a lot from watching them!" Tracey told him.

"You don't mean… Champion Cynthia… do you?" Clemont asked.

"Yeah." Ash said.

"Ash is going to watch her in the Tournament of Champions!" Serena exclaimed.

"Tournament of Champions?" Clemont questioned.

"Yeah! All the Champions are gonna face off to determine who's the best." Serena explained.

"You guys are welcome to come!" Ash said.

"Really?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, of course. You heard her! Besides, I'm sure Cynthia would love to meet you all in person!" Ash said.

"I'd love to meet her." Clemont said with a smile.

"Me too! She's really pretty and seems cool from all her interviews! Maybe she'll take care of you!" Bonnie said happily. "Or would you rather Diantha? I like Diantha too!"

"Since when do you even know of Cynthia?" Clemont asked his little sister.

"Since the Pokémon magazine did a photo shoot of all the Champions together." Bonnie replied rocking back and forth on her heels.

"That edition was from years ago. I don't even think you were alive. Cynthia had just become the Champion." Clemont recalled.

"To make your journey faster, after your boat trip into TwinLeaf Town, why don't you don't you guys fly over to Eterna City and the League on Charizard?" Professor Oak's suggested.

"Alright. What do you say buddy?" Ash turned to his smirking Charizard.

Charizard nodded and bent over to allow Ash to climb into his back.

"I also have a Dragonite here. 2 of you can ride on him as well." Professor Oak's said releasing a Dragonite from a Pokeball. "There should be a ship leaving tonight for the Sinnoh League. If you leave now using fly, you should be able to make the boat!"

"Thanks again, Professor!" Ash said climbing up onto Charizard's back.

Serena climbed onto Charizard as Bonnie and Clemont climbed into Dragonite.

"Have fun, Ash!" Professor Oak called and they flew into the distance.

As Charizard and Dragonite soared above the Kanto Region, Ash couldn't help

but smile. He began to recall his adventures with Misty and Brock from 6 years ago. He hadn't seen them in quite a while. He knew Brock was studying hard to be a Pokemon doctor, and he knew Misty had taken over the Cerulean Gym, but he hadn't actually spoken to them in a while.

"Ash, the Kanto Region is beautiful!" Serena said as she admired the beautiful scenery below.

"It really is! The Sinnoh Region is amazing as well! I can't wait to show you around." Ash said.

"Hey, Ash?" Serena asked a little more quietly.

"Are you and Cynthia… like… really close?"

"We're good friends! Why do ya ask?" Ash asked.

"Are you guys… like… you know… dating?" Serena asked.

Ash gave a small chuckle. "No. Cynthia is just a good friend of mine! Me and the Sinnoh Champion? That's funny, though!"

After a few more minutes of flying, the Pokémon began to lower to the ground. They were approaching the port. After landing, Ash thanked them as he returned them into their Pokéballs.

"That was so fun!" Bonnie exclaimed jumping up and down.

"That Dragonite is really incredible!" Clemont told Ash.

"His trainer trained him well." Ash said. "It looks like we are right on time for the boat! Let's hurry. We still have to buy tickets!"

The gang began to run towards the docks. They ran up to the ferry ticket booth where a young man sat behind the counter.

"Hello there! How can I help you?" he asked.

"4 Tickets to the Sinnoh Region please!" Serena spoke on behalf of the group.

"Sure thing. You guys are right on time. The boat leaves in 10 minutes." The man took Serena's money and handed her 4 tickets. "Happy travels!"

"Thanks!" Serena did a slight bow before her and the rest of the gang hurried onto the ship. It was similar to the one Ash had taken on his first journey to Sinnoh. It had a large, open deck with scattered tables and chairs for passengers to sit outside and enjoy the view. Soon enough, the bells on top of the boat rang, signaling that the anchor was lifted and they would begin their journey.

"I can't wait to introduce you guys to some of my other friends. Brock has been with me since the beginning of my journey. Dawn joined when I came to Sinnoh." Ash explained.

"Was it just you and Brock during your Kanto travels?" Serena asked.

Ash shook his head. "No… a girl named Misty was with me too. She was awesome. Then in Hoenn, my friend May and her little brother Max joined me and Brock."

"Are they coming too?" Bonnie asked.

"No… I don't think so. I haven't spoken to them in a while, and I don't even know if I'd be able to contact them."

"Gotcha. That's understandable." Clemont commented.

"Welcome aboard! This ship is due to arrive in the Sinnoh Region by tomorrow morning. Should you need any assistance with anything, do not hesitate to ask our employees. We hope you enjoy your travels with us and we thank you for choosing PokeBoat Services." The announcer called over the PA system.

"Perfect. Then we can fly to Eterna Forest." Ash said excitedly.

"For now, let's just enjoy our trip." Serena said.

"I'm going to the pool!" Bonnie announced. "See ya!"

* * *

The next morning, Ash and his friends could barely contain their excitement as they saw the shores of Sinnoh getting closer and closer.

"This is it!" Serena squealed.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Ash exclaimed.

"Hey, Ash! Did you take any of your Sinnoh Pokemon from Professor Oak?" Clemont asked.

"I sure did!" Ash nodded.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu cmiled from Ash's shoulder. "Pikachu was happy to see them again!"

"Can I see?" Bonnie asked.

"Not now Bonnie. We just docked. I think we should get to Eterna first." Clemont answered.

She pouted. "Aw, ok."

The gang exited the boat and thanked the crew as they left. As soon as they were off of the dock, Ash released Charizard and Dragonite. Ash, Pikachu, and Serena got on Charizard and Clemont and Bonnie climbed onto Dragonite.

"You ready?" Ash asked Charizard.

"Grrrawr!" Charziard smirked and growled in return.

"To Eterna Forest!" Ash announced.

The two Pokemon opened their massive wings and before they knew it, they were soaring high above the Sinnoh Region.

"That lake is so pretty!" Serena yelled over the wind looking off to the side.

"That's Lake Verity!" Ash responded loudly. "There's 3 major lakes here! Acuity, Valor, and Verity! I can tell you about them another time!"

Serena nodded in response. The rest of the ride was silent as the wind was extra loud. It made it rather difficult to hear. Ash looked over at one point and saw that Bonnie was giggling and grinning. It looked like she was having the time of her life. Ash looked ahead as they flew over Jubilife City. Memories flooded back of him, Dawn, and Brock's travels through Sinnoh. He couldn't wait to see them again. He then smiled to himself as an idea came to his head. He had challenged Cynthia to a battle when they were in Eterna at the museum but Team Galactic had caused chaos. He was going to challenge Cynthia as soon as he saw her. About 10 minutes later, Eterna forest came into view. The trees stood tall and looked as majestic as ever. Ash directed Charizard towards a large clearing near a stream. The Pokemon began to lower their altitude in preparation to land.

"There it is!" Ash called to everyone.

"Where do you think Cynthia is?" Clemont called over from Dragonite's back.

Before Ash could answer, a powerful wind blew in from out of nowhere. It caused Charizard and Dragonite to become unsteady. Pikachu grunted as he held onto Charizard's neck for his life. Serena lost her balance and almost tipped backwards but Ash reached back and grabbed her hand to steady her. She nodded in thanks, panic clearly written on her face.

"A silver wind attack!?" Clemont called as he clung onto Dragonite.

"AHHHHHHHHHH" Bonnie screamed.

"Bonnie!" Ash, Serena, and Clemont screamed as they watched Bonnie fall off of Dragonite's back and towards the ground below.

Ash reached for his Pokeball but before he could release anyone to save Bonnie, he heard a familiar female voice from down in the forest.

"Garchomp! Battle Dance!"

After a flash of light, a blur of dark blue swooped over, caught Bonnie, and landed. Charizard and Dragonite regained their composure and landed in the clearing where the Garchomp was on the ground holding Bonnie. Ash, Clemont, and Serena hurried over to the Pokemon who had saved their friend's life.

"Bonnie! Are you alright?" Clemont asked in a panic.

Bonnie leapt out of the Garchomp's arms and hugged it. "That was amazing! Thank you!"

"I'm glad you're alright" Ash commented.

"Pika…" Pikachu sighed in relief.

Everyone took a deep breath and let their heart rates come back down to normal. Bonnie didn't seem to care that she almost fell 100 feet so if she wasn't going to let it get to her, then nobody would.

"That silver had to come from an incredibly powerful Pokemon to cause Pokemon as strong as Charizard and Dragonite to falter." Clemont said. "I've never witnessed a silver wind that incredible before."

"Now that everyone's ok, I have to admit, that was a crazy feeling…" Serena agreed.

Clemont walked over to the Garchomp and admired it. It stood tall and proud, and it radiated energy. "This Garchomp is incredible! It's trainer raised it very well…"

"Yeah, but who's is it?" Bonnie asked looking around.

As if on cue, everyone's heads turned as they heard rustling in the bushes. A tall, slim female with long, silky, blonde hair came into view. She wore an outfit consisting of all black clothing, and carried herself professionally. Her gray eyes moved quickly over the scene before her until she steadied her gaze on Bonnie, who had climbed onto Garchomp's back.

"Ash!" the blonde smiled and made her way over. "I sincerely apologize. I'm at fault for the silver wind attack. I wasn't expecting anyone to be flying overhead at that moment so I was having one of my Pokemon practice."

"No worries. Your Garchomp is as incredible as ever. And Bonnie doesn't seem to care. She seems thrilled to have been rescued by her. It's so great to see you again!" Ash laughed as he approached her and gave her a hug. He then turned towards Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie. "Guys, this is Cynthia!" Ash introduced her.

"Wow! I never thought I would get to meet the Sinnoh Champion in person!" Serena gasped.

"Serena, right?" Cynthia asked with a smile.

"Yes!"

"I'm Clemont! It's a pleasure to meet you! That's why this Garchomp is so strong! It was raised by the Champion!" Clemont said in awe as his gaze flickered back and forth from Cynthia to Garchomp. He paused for a moment before his face went pale. "Bonnie! Get off her Garchomp! Oh goodness… I'm so sorry…" Clemont bowed.

"Don't worry! Garchomp doesn't seem to mind." Cynthia laughed.

Bonnie hopped off of Garchomp and skipped over to Cynthia, her eyes sparkling. "Wow! You're gorgeous, Miss. Cynthia! You're definitely a keeper!" Bonnie then got down on one knee and held out her hand. "Will you please take care of my brother!?" she exclaimed.

Ash and Serena snickered as Clemont's face turned redder than a tomato.

"B-Bonnie! I told you to stop doing that!" he stammered frantically as he pushed a button and the mechanical hand came out of his backpack to grab Bonnie.

Cynthia laughed lightly as Clemont frantically apologized. "Don't worry. And I apologize again for the silver wind." she said.

"Nobody got hurt. No need to apologize!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Ash went to return Charizard and Dragonite to their Pokeballs but Dragonite looked rather sad.

"Hey… what's the matter Dragonite?" Ash asked it.

It looked sadly at Bonnie.

"Are you upset that I fell?" Bonnie asked it.

Dragonite nodded in return. "Don't worry! I'm fine!" Bonnie said cheerily. It did very little to cheer up the Pokemon.

Cynthia walked up to it and looked at it in the eyes. She gave it a gentle smile and placed her hand on his arm. Her touch was gentle and reassuring, and she spoke softly to it. Ash and his friends could not hear what was being said, but they knew that she was comforting it as it's frown soon became a relaxed smile. When she was done speaking to it, Ash returned it.

"That was impressive… what did you say to it?" Clemont asked.

Cynthia shook her head. "Not important. All that matters now is that he's feeling better, and his confidence is back to where is should be." she smiled. She then turned to Ash. "How've you been?"

"I've been great. I competed in both the Unova and Kalos League but didn't win. But it was great to compete!" Ash told her.

"Just continue to reach for your goals. Winning is important, but don't forget that it is not everything. Don't forget to keep bonding with your Pokemon. Without a strong bond, a trainer can never be successful." Cynthia said as she walked over to Garchomp and patted her on the head. She growled softly and closed her eyes, clearly enjoying her trainer's therapeutic touch.

"Wow… you're a great Champion…" Serena said softly as she watched Cynthia and Garchomp interact.

"Of course. My Pokemon are my friends and I promise to keep our friendship strong!" Ash said patting Pikachu on the head. Pikachu smiled.

"I'm glad to hear! And I'm glad to see Pikachu looks so well!" Cynthia came over and patted Pikachu. He let out a happy "Pika" as she patted him behind his ears.

"Cynthia.." Ash said to get her attention.

She looked at him with curiosity in her eyes. She had a feeling she knew what was coming.

"Let's battle!" Ash exclaimed.

"Wait, Ash! You can just challenge her like that!?" Serena gasped.

"I wanna watch!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Alright. I accept your challenge. It'll be great for our training to do a practice battle." She smiled.

"Alright! This is so exciting!" Ash jumped.

"How many Pokemon each?" She asked.

"Let's do 6 on 6!" Ash said. He was fired up.

"I can't wait to show you how strong my Pokemon are. I've gotten stronger since I last saw you!" Ash said confidently.

Cynthia gave a playful smirk. "As have I."

Serena , Clemont, and Bonnie sat on a nearby log and watched.

"I'll begin with Garchomp." Cynthia said.

"Alright, Pikachu! I choose you!" Ash said excitedly. Pikachu leapt out onto the field from Ash's shoulder. He looked ready to fight.

"You may have the first attack!" Cynthia called.

"Thanks. We won't go easy on you! Pikachu, get up close with quick attack!" Ash yelled. "Then use iron tail!"

Garchomp watched Pikachu grow closer and closer but didn't blink an eye as Pikachu jumped in front of her face and prepared an iron tail.

"Isn't she going to command Garchomp to do anything!?" Serena exclaimed nervously.

"PIKAAAA" Pikachu spun around and slammed it's tail into Garchomp.

Garchomp only raised her fin to block the attack. Pikachu's tail stopped glowing and Pikachu looked in shock that it's iron tail did absolutely nothing.

"Pika!?"

Ash grinned. "Use thunderbolt!"

"PIKAAAAA- CHUUUUUUUUUU" Pikachu released a powerful thunderbolt from right above Garchomp.

"A thunder from that close has to do at least some damage!" Clemont said.

A big cloud of smoke puffed up. When it cleared, it revealed Garchomp had blocked the entire attack with just her fin again. Garchomp lowered her fin and her yellow eyes glared at Pikachu, which indicated that the thunderbolt was only a tickle to her.

Ash's face now showed worry. "Still nothing!?" he exclaimed.

"Wow… her Garchomp is a force to be reckoned with…" Clemont commented from the side.

"Ugh.." Ash gritted his teeth. He was growing nervous. " Pikachu use volt tackle!"

"Pika pika pika pika!" Pikachu picked up power and speed as it charged Garchomp once again.

"Garchomp use brick break!" Cynthia commanded.

Garchimps fin began glowing and she swung it with perfect timing to meet Pikachu's volt tackle. The clashing energy caused more smoke to form but it was clear to see that Garchomp help more power and Pikachu came flying out of the smoke and slammed into a tree.

"Pikachu!" Ash called worriedly.

"Pika…?" Pika let out a weak, yet high pitched squeal as it fell to the floor. He was down.

Ash ran over to Pikachu and picked him up. "You ok there, buddy? You fought great." Ash said carrying him back to where he was standing.

Ash reached into his pocket for his next Pokeball. "Gliscor, I choose you!"

"Gli- Gliscor!" he came out ready to go.

"A Gliscor? So cool!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"I've not seen one in person before." Serena commented.

"Gliscor use giga impact!" Ash commanded.

"Right off the bat with a powerful move?" Serena wondered aloud.

"I think Ash has realized that basic moves aren't going to do anything to Cynthia's Garchomp. He probably figured why waste his Pokemon's energy on moves that Garchomp will brush away." Clemont explained.

"We'll use that move too!" Cynthia called.

Garchomp and Gliscor flew at each other with incredible power brewing. The two collided and without even a moment of a power struggle, Gliscor was sent rocketing to the ground. Garchomp lingered in the sky and looked down at the fainted Pokemon. She flew back to the ground and landed in front of Cynthia.

"Return, Gliscor!" Ash brought him back to his Pokeball. "Thank you. You tried your very best!"

Ash reached for his other Pokeball and released Charizard. Ready, buddy!?"

Charizard growed in return. "Let's start with flamethrower!"

"Garchomp, dig!" Cynthia said.

Garchomp vanished into a hole in the ground and Ash smirked. "Flamethrower into the hole!" Ash commanded.

Charizard fired flames into Garchomps hole but Garchomp emerged out of a new one unscathed.

"She's open! Use seismic toss!" Ash called with slight desperation in his voice.

Charizard launched himself at the airborne Garchomp and flew up really high to prepare for a seismic toss.

Now, it was Cynthia's turn to smirk.

"Break from his grip and use dragon rush!" Cynthia called up.

Ash's face dropped. He had thought he was a step ahead but he realized that Cynthia was 5 steps ahead.

"Oh no!" Clemont exclaimed as he saw Garchomp glowing blue.

"Charizard, get out of there!" Ash yelled.

Unfortunately, by the time Charizard heard Ash's command, Garchomp had scored a direct hit to Charizards abdomen and was flying to the ground at lightning speed. The two slammed into the ground, denting it where they made an impact. Garchomp emerged from the crater, still without a scratch. Charizard however, was down for the count.

"Charizard, return!" Ash called. "Thanks, buddy. You fought hard."

Ash went to reach for another Pokeball but stopped. He gave a weak laugh. "I'm gonna call it a day, Cynthia."

Cynthia nodded with a small smile. "I agree." She walked up to Garchomp and patted her. "Great work today. Take a good rest." Garchomp smiled at her before Cynthia returned her to her Pokeball.

"That was… something else…" Serena commented.

"She's really powerful…" Clemont commented.

"What can ya say… she's the Champion!" Serena responded in shock.

"Ash, your Pokemon have greatly improved. You should be proud of them." Cynthia commented as Ash walked over to where everyone was standing. "Your Gliscor's giga impact was impressive. And you had planned that seismic toss from the moment you chose Charizard, didn't you?"

"Yeah… how did you know?" Ash asked kind of in awe that she knew.

"It was partially intuition and partially a lucky guess. Nobody just starts off with flamethrower without a plan. Usually it's to move in close to an opponent but when Charizard didn't move at all, I figured you were waiting for Garchomp to come to you. So I figured if I had Garchomp use dig, you would immediately redirect it, which you did. Opponents figure when a Pokemon emerges from a move like dig, they're left vulnerable, which is usually true. Garchomp could have escaped the seismic toss grab, but I let Charizard take Garchomp up in the sky. It was a very smart move on your part Ash. It shows that you were thinking a step ahead." Cynthia explained.

"Wow… you were able to calculate all of that in your mind in that moment?" Clemont asked in awe.

Cynthia nodded.

Ash rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I guess I got a little cocky… I forgot that you are training too." he laughed nervously.

Cynthia smiled at him. Everyone was silent for a moment as they absorbed everything they had just witnessed. A stomach rumbling broke the silence.

"Hehe… sorry guys." Bonnie said nervously.

"Why don't we go back into Eterna City and go get some lunch?" Cynthia suggested.

"Sure. I'm starvin too!" Ash said rubbing his stomach. "And I should drop off these guys at the Pokemon Center.

The gang made their way out of Eterna Forest and into the city. Ash had Charizard and Dragonite healed by Nurse Joy. They then headed over to a diner.

"Hmmm… all of these sandwiches sound great! But also the salad sounds really good. Or I could just eat ice cream…" Cynthia pondered about what to eat. She stared at the menu intensely as the waitress stood there and sweatdropped at her indecisiveness.

"Is she always like this?" Clemont asked as Cynthia thought aloud — still debating what food to eat.

"She's… a little indecisive sometimes, yeah…" Ash said with a sweatdrop of his own forming.

After another 5 minutes of debate, she finally decided to order a small cup of vanilla ice cream. They all chatted as they ate. Serena told her all about Pokemon Performers and how she wants to become one. Clemont told her all about his inventions, and Bonnie once again begged Cynthia to take care of him — much to his embarrassment. When they were finished eating, they left the restaurant and walked back outside into the city.

"I really must get back to training now. It was a pleasure to meet all of you, and I can't wait to see you all at the Tournament." Cynthia said.

"Thanks for battling me!" Ash said. "I can't wait to see you battle Alder and Diantha."

"We actually got to meet Diantha back in Kalos!" Bonnie said excitedly.

"She's very nice. I look forward to seeing everyone in action." Cynthia said. She reached into her bag and pulled out 4 lanyards with a ticket in it's holder. She handed them to Ash. "These are your VIP tickets. They will get you into my VIP booth to watch. They also will give you access to the hotel."

"Hotel?" Serena asked,

"Yes. Most people are staying in the Pokemon Center but I'm sure all of the rooms are booked by now. The League Resort area and Battle area are also probably booked. The hotel is on League grounds, and it's been reserved for all of the officials. All competing Champions are staying there and any guests or family they have invited.

"Wow… that's amazing… do you have any family coming?" Serena asked.

"My grandmother and my sister are back in Celestic Town working on a big research project and are unable to come. They're going to watch it from TV." Cynthia responded.

"Thank you again, Cynthia!" Ash said putting the passes into his backpack.

"The competition is in 3 days. I am going to finish the day with more training and then fly over to the League. I plan on resting and strategizing after I get there so that my Pokemon aren't exhausted." she explained.

"Can we watch your training session?" Bonnie blurted out.

Cynthia gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry… I have a few things I need to have my Pokemon practice privately."

"Aw, pooey…" Bonnie frowned.

"Bonnie! Don't be rude!" Clemont said frantically.

Cynthia just chuckled. "No worries at all. If you guys head over, they are having a festival for all of the guests. There are vendors and food stands galore. Alder and Diantha are there already as well. They called me the other day to let me know that they arrived safely and that Steven and Lance arrived as well." Cynthia explained.

"That'll be fun!" Serena said.

"Cool! We'll head over and be sure to check that out." Ash told her.

"I look forward to seeing you!" Cynthia said. "Safe trip!"

With that, Cynthia headed back in the direction of Eterna Forest. Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie mounted Charizard and Dragonite and took off towards the League. The weather was much nicer with minimal wind, allowing them to converse while airborne.

"If her Garchomp is that amazing, I can only wonder what the rest of her team is like!" Serena thought aloud. "Hey Ash, who else does she have?"

"Oh yeah… who else does she have?" Clemont asked from Dragonite's back.

Ash thought. "Actually, I don't really know. I know she has a female Gastrodon, and her Garchomp is her signature Pokemon." He paused for a moment. "Oh! In Unova, she had a Glaceon as well, but I don't know if that Glaceon is part of her team permanently."

"Hmm… why hasn't she ever used anyone else?" Bonnie asked.

"She's the strongest trainer in the Sinnoh League. I doubt she's ever met an opponent who's made her need anyone else." Clemont thought aloud.

"We'll see shortly. I think Diantha is gonna make her need all her Pokemon!" Bonnie said excitedly.

Clemont thought. "I don't know Bonnie… Diantha is amazingly strong… but from what I just witnessed with that Garchomp, I can't say with confidence that Diantha will win."

Ash chuckled. "We'll know in 3 days!"

* * *

Ash and his friends grinned with delight as Veilstone City came into view. They had received a call back when they were still in Eterna from Dawn and Brock. The two were in Veilstone for a Pokemon Contest. Ash was super excited to see Dawn compete again, with him and Brock on the sidelines cheering her on just like old times. The Pokemon landed on the outskirts of the city and made their way in.

"So Ash, what's a Pokemon Contest?" Bonnie asked.

" It's a competition you can enter with your Pokemon. It's designed to show off the beauty of a Pokemon's attacks and to also show how battling can be elegant." Ash explained.

"Have you ever done one?" Clemont asked.

Ash smiled and nodded. "Yeah! Dawn, Brock, and I all entered together once. It was tons of fun, but gym battles are more my thing."

"That sounds so fun! I want to enter one!" Serena exclaimed.

"You should! Dawn could show you how!" Ash said.

The gang continued through the hustle and bustle of the city as they approached the Contest Hall. There were trainers outside scattered on the lawns and the practice battlefields practicing new moves and techniques. Ash scanned the sea of trainers until he saw a familiar blue haired girl. He led his friends over to where the girl was practicing with her Piplup.

"Dawn! Hey!" he said cheerily.

She spun around and her face lit up upon seeing Ash. "Ash!" she practically jumped into his arms to give him a hug. "Good to see you again!"

"You too. Piplup looks great!" he complimented. He then turned to the side so that Dawn could see his new friends. "This is Bonnie, Clemont, and Serena. They've been traveling with me through the Kalos Region!"

"It's great to meet you all! I'm Dawn!" She smiled.

"Hey, Dawn? Where's Brock?" Ash asked looking around.

"He just went inside to see how many entries there were so far." Dawn explained.

"Oh. How has he been? He's still studying to be a Pokemon Doctor, right?" Ash asked.

"Yeah. It's his break now." Dawn nodded. "He somehow got even more knowledgeable than he already was. He's going to make a great doctor!"

"By the way, Serena wanted to enter the Contest! Can she do that?" Ash asked her.

"Sure! It'll be so fun!" Dawn said. She looked down at her Poketch. "Uh oh! We gotta register you now! Entries close in 10 minutes!"

The gang immediately began running towards the building to enter Serena before they got closed out.

* * *

_**Meanwhile, back in Eterna Forest-**_

The sun was just beginning to set over Eterna City, giving the forest a warm, orange glow. The shadows of the trees grew longer as the sun lowered in the sky. A certain blonde haired Champion was just wrapping up her last day of training with her partner.

"One more time, Garchomp!" Cynthia commanded.

Garchomp began glowing red and purple flames danced around her body. She charged at a large boulder that sat next to the stream.

"Go! Outrage!" Cynthia called throwing her arm out in front of her for emphasis.

"GARRRR" Garchomp let out a terrifying roar as she launched a powerful wave of flames at the boulders. As they made contact with the boulder, the purple and red flames shot out in all different directions. The rock was instantly obliterated and crumbled to the ground in pathetic little pieces. Garchomp let out another deep growl to demonstrate her power. The path the fire had traveled was completely scorched.

Cynthia smiled to herself. Garchomp was looking better than ever. Garchomp flew over to where Cynthia was standing. She touched her fin to Cynthia's coat pocket.

"You want to do it?" Cynthia asked.

"Gar… Gar!" she responded with a nod.

Cynthia frowned as she looked at the damage the outrage attack had caused. "I really don't think you need it." she said.

Garchomp tilted her head to the side. "Gar!" she argued.

"Garchomp, my answer is no. You are powerful enough without the Garchompite. I don't need you losing control." Cynthia said once again with ice in her tone.

Garchomp flinched at the warning tone of her trainer before nodding her head apologetically. "Gar…" she growled softly as an apology.

"Now now, there's no need to get upset. I did not mean to sound so cross with you. You only want to get stronger, am I right?" Cynthia softened her tone and gave Garchomp a smile. She put her hand on Garchomp's back in a comforting way.

Garchomp nodded. "Gwarrrr - garrrrrr" she said.

"I appreciate it so much that you fight for me and you want to help me win this tournament. But I won't do things at your expense. We just got this Garchompite as a gift, and we aren't sure how you'll react to it." Cynthia said. Cynthia went silent for a few moments, just listening to the flowing stream and rustling leaves around them. Now that they weren't setting off attacks, it was peaceful in the forest. "You know, Garchomp?" Cynthia spoke again. "I've heard tales of Pokemon losing control over themselves at the first attempts of mega-evolution. Not only does that put those around you in harm's way, but you are at risk of hurting yourself in such a manic state. I simply don't see the need to risk your safety for the sake of winning. If we lose, so be it."

Garchomp nodded and smiled at her trainer. "Gar!"

Cynthia chuckled at Garchomp's response. "I know I know. Don't worry. We have no intention of losing."

Cynthia gathered her belongings and began to walk out of Eterna Forest. She returned Garchomp to her Pokeball and made her way to the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy treated and healed all of her Pokemon before returning them to her and handing her a room key. Cynthia thanked her and headed up to her room for the night. She would set out for the League first thing the next morning.

* * *

_**3 Days Later-**_

"Good morning! Welcome to the Sinnoh Pokemon League. What a beautiful day to kick off our Tournament of Champions! The matchups will be posted at 9:00AM and our first battle of the day will begin at noon! You don't want to miss it!" the voice over the PA system announced excitedly.

All around the League there were vendors, food stands, and souvenir shops. You could find the faces of the Champions on any item imaginable. Cups, mugs, blankets, shirts, hats, notebooks, pencils, and more had the faces of Lance, Steven, Cynthia, Alder, and Diantha plastered onto them. One stand even had dolls of them and action figures. There were booths that had carnival games to keep kids busy, and someone had even brought a Pokemon petting zoo. There were 4 open training battlefields for people to challenge each other for fun to get pumped up for the Tournament start. People flooded the property, and everywhere you looked you could see some kind of Champion merchandise. Ash and his friends stepped out of the hotel and instantly were met by a sea of people.

"Wow… I wasn't expecting this to be so busy!" Serena exclaimed.

"It's not everyday you see all of the Champions of the region face off." Brock said.

"It's sure to be an interesting battle indeed." Clemont agreed.

"We should grab something to eat." Ash suggested.

"You're always hungry… but for once, I agree…" Serena said as her stomach growled.

"Let's just walk up and down the rows of vendors until we see something we like." Dawn suggested.

Ash and the gang pushed their way through the crowd until they got to the part of the property where all of the food stands were set up. There were cookies, waffles, ice pops, and all sorts of food with the faces of the Champions. They stepped to the side and onto the lawn underneath the shade of a tree. They had seen everything, and now they had to decide what they wanted. If they would've stopped in the middle of the path, they would've been trampled.

"I have to admit, this whole thing is a little more than unsettling…" a voice said from behind them.

"I completely agree. I wasn't expecting this to be such a big deal." another voice said.

Ash and his friends spun around to see two women standing behind them. It took Ash a moment to process who it was because both women were wearing disguises.

"Hang on… do we know you?" Dawn said.

One woman wore a pair of black jeans with a black V-neck T-shirt. Her hair was tied up into a tight bun and hidden under a black baseball cap that had a pokeball design front and center. Her eyes were hidden by a pair of black sunglasses. The other woman wore a white pantsuit with a matching white floppy sun hat. She also had her eyes hidden behind white brimmed sun glasses.

The two women simply chuckled. "I guess we picked better disguises than we thought." the blonde said.

"Wait a minute! I know those voices!" Brock exclaimed. His eyes suddenly turned to hearts and he was immediately on one knee in front of them. He took one of each of their hands in his own and planted a gentle kiss on the tops. "It's none other than the stunning Champion Cynthia and the dazzling Champion Diantha! My loves, please forgive me for not recognizing your beauty sooner! No disguise could ever hide the radiant glow of — AHHHHH" Brock was cut off when Croagunk jabbed his side with a poison jab attack. It immediately caused him to collapse onto the floor. " A-a short… break… might be… well needed…" Brock croaked out weakly as Croagunk dragged him away from the group.

Ash, Dawn, Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont all smiled awkwardly and sweatdropped as they watched Brock get taken away.

"I see he hasn't changed…" Ash commented.

"Yeah… still the same old Brock!" Dawn responded.

"Is he always like that?" Serena asked.

"Sadly, yes." Ash and Dawn said together.

After a moment of awkward silence, Diantha spoke. "Glad to see all of you made it."

"Sorry we didn't recognize ya!" Ash said rubbing the back of his head.

Both Cynthia and Diantha removed their sunglasses. "That's the whole point of disguises" Diantha laughed.

"It's great to see you again, Diantha!" Clemont said.

"Good to see you guys too!" she smiled.

"So, uh, why are you guys walking around in disguises anyway?" Bonnie asked.

"Probably because they'll get swarmed and bombarded if they're seen." Brock cut in.

"He's back!?" Bonnie's jaw hit the floor.

"Have you guys seen Lance, Alder, or Steven?" Diantha asked.

"No… I haven't." Ash responded.

"I'm sure they're here somewhere. I bet they're at the autograph panel." Cynthia said.

"My stars, Cynthia! You're looking stunning as ever! And Diantha! You look lovely! What do you ladies say we ditch this silly Tournament and go get some lunch together?" a deep voice said.

"Well, there's Alder." Diantha said with a slight chuckle.

"I think you'll be dining alone, Alder. As usual." Cynthia told him.

"Wow… savage Champion…" Clemont whispered.

Alder only burst out laughing. "Oh alright, alright."

"Alder! It's great to see you again!" Ash said.

"Nice to see ya, Ashton!" he said loudly.

"It's… Ash…"

"It's 9:00! Who's ready to see the first battle matchups?" The PA system boomed.

It was immediately followed by screams and cheers from the crowd who had gathered under the big screen above the entrance to the stadium. Cynthia, Diantha, Alder, Ash, and the rest of the group stepped out from under the trees on the lawn. They watched the big screen as sparkles, stars, and trophies danced across the screen.

"Now, let me introduce your competing Champions! First, we have Lance from the Kanto region!" the announcer's voice boomed. Lance's trainer profile picture came up on screen followed by a quick video montage of some of his previous battles. The montage ended with a video of him doing a flip and landing in a pose. The crowd of people cheered when it ended. "Next up, I introduce Champion Steven of the Hoenn Region!" Again, his picture came onto the screen and then a video montage. His also ended with him posing. Again, everyone applauded and yelled with excitement.

"How did they catch that kind of pose on video?" Dawn asked.

"Mr. Goodshow made us come to the Jubilife TV station and film it special for this event." Diantha informed.

"It was kind of awkward." Alder grumbled at the memory.

"Next up, we have the queen of the Sinnoh League, our very own, Cynthia!" the announcer yelled enthusiastically. The crowd erupted in the loudest applause yet as Cynthia's picture came on screen. Then, her video montage began. The first clip was of her releasing her Garchomp and calling "Battle Dance" as Garchomp emerged from the Pokeball. Another clip depicted her giving out a command to Garchomp as she thrusted her arm out for emphasis. Another clip was her leaping off of a rooftop, her black jacket blowing rather majestically with the wind. There were a few more clips and then her ending pose came on screen. It was the most basic one with her standing next to Garchomp with one hand on her hip, one leg slightly in front of the other, and her other hand stroking Garchomp's head as she leaned in, clearly enjoying her trainer's praise. The crowd let out an "awwww" seeing the bond Cynthia had with a Pokemon as terrifying as a Garchomp.

"That was incredible." Serena said in complete awe.

"A true beauty!" Brock cried as tears streamed down his face.

"Introducing Champion Alder of Unova!" the announcer continued on with the introductions.

The video showed Alder and his Bouffalant battling different opponents. Besides that, there wasn't much to it. His final pose was him standing on top of a cliff. Putting one foot on top of a boulder, and saluting.

"That was so awkward to film…" he commented after the video ended and the crown was finishing up their applause.

"Finally, last but not least, we have Champion Diantha of Kalos here!" the crown once again erupted in cheers.

Diantha's montage was a mixture of her battling and her roles in films. One scene showed her Gardevoir mega evolving, while the next showed her in an extravagant costume playing a role from a movie. It went back and forth from action to film before cutting to her pose clip. She spun around and then stared directly at the camera and gently placed her hand over her sternum.

"That was lovely, Diantha." Cynthia commented.

"Why thank you." she responded politely.

"Alright! Now that you've been introduced to all of our Champions, it's the moment you've been waiting for! Here are our first day matchups!" the announcer called as all 5 profile pictures came on screen.

" Each champion will fight 4 battles - one against each other challenging Champion. The battle style will be drawn at random between a full battle and a 1 on1! The field will also be chosen at random. The victor will have 3 points added to their name while the loser will only get 1. The competitors will be ranked based on their total points at the end of the tournament." The announcer explained. "And now, here's our battle schedule!"

Everyone watched as the pictures flipped and shuffled themselves across the screen. Them the screen dimmed and everyone waited in anticipation as the cards flipped back over, one by one. Ash snuck at glance at the 3 Champions standing beside him. Cynthia watched the screen with a focused look along with Alder and Diantha. Once all the cards finished flipping, the screen lit up to full brightness, revealing the schedule for the next few days. The crowd erupted in cheers. The screen read:

_**Monday**_

_**12:00 PM - Lance VS Steven FULL - Water Field**_

_**3:00 PM - Diantha VS Alde - Grass Field**_

_**Tuesday-**_

_**9:00 AM - Cynthia VS Diantha FULL - Normal Field**_

_**12:00 PM- Lance VS Alde - Rock Field**_

_**3:00 PM- Steven VS Cynthi - Normal Field**_

_**6:00 PM- Diantha VS Lance 1 V 1- Normal Field**_

_**Wednesday-**_

_**9:00 AM - Steven VS Alder FULL - Water Field**_

_**12:00 PM- Cynthia VS Alde - Rock Field**_

_**3:00 PM - Steven VS Dianth - Ice Field**_

_**6:00 PM Cynthia VS Lance FULL Mystery Field**_

"This should be an interesting few days." Alder let out a laugh.

"And here's our schedule, folks! All battles will take place in the main stadium! You won't want to miss it! Will everyone battling today please make your way inside and enter which Pokemon you will be using. Thank you." the announcer said.

Diantha and Alder turned to each other. "I guess that includes us." Alder said.

"I'm going to go inside now as well." Cynthia said putting her sunglasses back on.

"Aren't you guys going to grab food first? Isn't that why you came out here?" Clemont questioned as they began to make their way towards the entrance.

"I'm slightly unsettled having to eat a sandwich that has my face or my friends faces printed all over it." Diantha laughed.

"She has a point…" Dawn agreed with an awkward smile.

"And don't forget, our 'Champion Meet and Greet' is from 10-11! Come meet your Champions! Get autographs, pictures, or a chance to ask them a question!" The announcer said once more.

All three of the Champions sweat dropped. "Oops… I totally forgot about that…" Alder laughed nervously.

"I'm going to change and meet you over there. Go register before you get in trouble." Cynthia said.

"I'll catch up with you guys later!" Ash waved as the three of them walked towards the Stadium.

* * *

_**MONDAY - 12:00 PM - Lance VS Steven FULL - Water Field**_

"Ash! Go faster!" Dawn and Serena yelled at him.

"You just had to get lunch didn't you!?" Dawn said.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Ash yelled an apology as they ran up the stairs of the stadium and towards the box where they would be watching.

They all flashed their ID's to the guard who then opened the door to let them in. They stumbled inside and Cynthia turned around at the noise of them entering rather noisily.

"Sorry we're late!" Ash said between breaths as he gasped for air.

Dawn, Bonnie, and Serena collapsed to the floor, panting while Brock and Clemont were smart enough to collapse onto the couch.

Cynthia just gave a friendly smile. "They are just introducing Lance." she said.

Ash and his friends got settled into a seat and the battle then began. Lance and Steven's Pokemon went all out from the moment they were released from their Pokeballs. Lance started with his Gyarados while Steven started with his Claydol. They threw attack after attack, but in the most strategic way possible. Ash watched Cynthia from where she was seated next to him on the couch. Her face showed no emotion, and he couldn't quite figure out what was going through her mind. She turned to meet his gaze and he snapped out of his trance.

"What's wrong, Ash?" she asked him.

"Oh- uh… nothing. Sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I was just wondering what you were thinking. You were watching the battle so intensely." Ash stammered. He was embarrassed she had caught him staring at her.

"Don't worry. I'm just thinking." she responded.

"Claydol is unable to battle! Lance's Gyrados is the winner of this round!" the referee called.

Everyone's attention snapped back to the field. They showed a replay of what had happened to knock out Claydol. Lance had let Steven think Gyrados was still recharging so Steven had Claydol prepare ancient power but then in a moment of vulnerability, Lance had commanded Gyrados to use hyper beam which took down Claydol. Steven released Metagross next, and the battle continued.

"That was tricky…" Clemont commented.

Cynthia didn't comment, but instead continued to watch intensely. Ash and his friends kept their eyes glued to the battlefield and before they knew it, the battle was over. It was a close battle, but Lance had come out victorious thanks to his Dragonite. They met in the middle and shook hands. The crowd cheered as the screen updated the points. Lance now had 3, and Steven had 1.

"What do you plan to do between battles?" Ash asked Cynthia.

"I'm not too sure. I think I'm going to go make sure my Pokemon are ready for tomorrow. Then I'll be back here." Cynthia said standing.

"Alright. We'll see you soon!" Ash called as Cynthia left.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom!" Ash said as he stood to leave.

As soon as he opened the door, and stepped outside, he walked into a girl with purple hair. Pikachu leapt off of Ash's shoulders and landed on his feet.

"Heyyy, watch where you're going! Only little kids run into people!" she exclaimed.

"Iris!?" Ash exclaimed standing and helping the girl to her feet.

Ash looked behind her where another young man was standing. "Cilan!?"

"Hey, it's Ash!" Cilan said happily.

"I didn't know you guys would be here!" Ash said.

At this point, Dawn, Brock, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie were all at the door watching.

"It's great to see you again!" Ash said.

"Pika Pika!"

"Ax- Axew!" Axew and Pikachu hugged, happy to see each other again.

"These are some of my other friends." Ash motioned to all of spectating friends. "You already met Dawn… and Brock is a friend of mine all the way from Kanto. He traveled with me through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh! Then that's Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie from Kalos!" Ash introduced them.

"Hi! Nice to meet you guys. I'm Iris!"

"And I'm Cilan!"

"So what are you guys doing here?" Dawn asked.

"We were here with Alder. But his box is a little… overwhelming." Cilan said with a sweatdrop as he remembered Alder's grandson and all of his friends.

"Who's box is this?" Iris asked.

"It's Cynthia's! I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you came and hung out! After all, she knows you." Ash answered.

"Sounds good. I can't wait to catch up!" Iris and Cilan said entering.

* * *

_**MONDAY 3:00 PM - Diantha VS Alde - Grass Field**_

Cynthia walked back into the box holding an ice cream cone with a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of mint chip. She looked slightly confused at the addition of 2 guests but smiled when she realized it was Cilan and Iris.

"Long time no see! How are you?" She asked them.

"We're great! Thanks! It's great to see you again!" Cilan answered.

"Ax- Axew!" Axew waved at Cynthia.

"Hello there, Axew! It's great to see you too." Cynthia greeted the happy Pokemon.

"We've continued to grow stronger together. That mock battle you had done with us really helped us… I thank you again!" Iris said to Cynthia.

Cynthia gave a gentle smile. "I'm glad to hear you're both doing so well. You'll go far together."

"And here they come! In the red corner is Alder from Unova! And in the blue corner we have Diantha from Kalos! This is a 1 on 1 battle!" the announcer called.

"Bouffalant! Come on out!" Alder released Bouffalant, who looked ready to go.

"Tyrantrum! I need your help!" Diantha released her Pokemon who was also ready to go.

"I can't wait to see who wins…" Bonnie said as she stared intently at the field. She ran up to the railing to get as close as she could.

"This is sure to be a good battle." Cynthia agreed with Bonnie.

"Let's go, head charge Bouffalant!"

"Then we'll use head smash!"

The two Pokemon ran straight towards each other as they overflowed with power. They smashed into each other and went back and forth — taking turns pushing each other. Neither Pokemon wanted to give in.

"Charge through, Bouffalant!"

"Don't give up Tyrantrum!"

Eventually, as the energy radiated between them, both Pokemon went sent back in the direction they came from with no clear winner in the battle of strength. The two Pokemon stared at each other, awaiting a command from their trainer. Diantha and Alder locked eyes, neither saying a word.

"Head charge, again!"

"You too! Head smash!"

The two Pokemon ran at each other once again and locked horns. Again, they both refused to give in. Bouffalant let out a roar of determination and Tyrantum growled in return.

"Those two are evenly matched!" Clemont commented.

"C'mon Diantha! You and Tyrantrum can do it!" Bonnie yelled over the railing.

"I wonder who's going to win!" Ash exclaimed.

Brock stared at the battlefield. He then turned and saw Cynthia was doing the same. "What do you think is going to happen?"

"It's hard to say right now. Both Pokemon clearly love their trainer and are putting in their all. Their loyalty is fueling their strength." Cynthia explained as the two Pokemon continued to use the same moves.

"Use megahorn, Bouffalant!"

"Dragon claw!" Diantha called.

The battle continued for about another 15 minutes. By that time, both Pokemon were completely exhausted. They faced each other, their balance unsteady as they struggled to stay on their feet.

"C'mon Diantha!" Bonnie yelled. "You can do it!"

"I don't know, Bonnie… Tyrantrum looks exhausted." Clemont commented.

"Yeah, but Bouffalant doesn't look much better." Serena commented.

"One last time, use head charge!" Alder called.

"Finish it with head smash!" Diantha called.

The two Pokemon charged at each other yet again and collided. Their power was significantly less than when the battle started, and both were barely holding on. They glared at each other as they struggled to make each other move. Finally, a cloud of dust puffed up as one of the Pokemon fell to the ground with a thud.

"Who's down!? Who's down!?" Bonnie asked trying to fan away the dust.

When the dust settled, the crowd gasped. Both Bouffalant and Tyrantrum were on the floor and fainted. It had ended in a draw.

"AND THAT'S IT! THE BATTLE BETWEEN CHAMPION ALDER AND CHAMPION DIANTHA HAS ENDED IN A DRAW! BOTH TRAINERS WILL RECEIVE 2 POINTS!"

The crowd erupted in cheers as Diantha and Alder both withdrew their Pokemon and met in the middle of the field to shake hands.

"That was an interesting battle…" Brock said.

"Why'd they use that strategy? I feel like there were so many other moves they could have used!" Ash wondered.

"I thought for sure he would have had Bouffalant use megahorn at least once." Iris commented.

"Cynthia, do you know why they made it a battle between head smash and head charge?" Cilan asked.

Cynthia stared at the battlefield for a moment more before turning to face Cilan. Her face was unreadable of emotion.

"It's probably some Champion strategy, right!?" Iris asked.

"Actually…" Cynthia began. Everyone leaned closer to hear what she had to say. "I have no idea!" she finished with a big smile.

Everyone hit the floor in shock. If Cynthia had no idea what strategy was being used, then there couldn't have been one. The two Champions must have just felt like having a battle of force and strength. Cynthia and the rest of the gang exited the VIP box and began to make their way towards the hotel. They were all exhausted from the day, so they were going to skip out on the group dinner and just order room service. As soon as they got into the suite, everyone's face dropped. They had a fairly large area dedicated to being a living room. There was a small kitchen and a bathroom. Then, there was a small hallway that split off into 2 doors with 1 on each side.

"This suite is so big!" Ash said in shock.

"Commenting on a hotel room? What a kid!" Iris taunted.

"Seriously, we owe Cynthia a big 'thank you' at the end of this. She didn't have to share this with us." Brock told everyone.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Then all ordered food from room service before showering and changing into pajamas. They reconveined back in the living room when they were done and ate their dinner.

"Man, what a day!" Ash said.

"All we did was watch!" Dawn told him. " I can only imagine how the Champions feel."

"Their Pokemon gave it their all." Cilan added.

"Lance is really something else…" Dawn commented.

"He's a force to be reckoned with. Really, he means business." Brock said.

"Have you met him before?" Serena asked.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, when we were in Kanto."

Bonnie pouted. "No fair! You guys get to meet all the cool people."

The group was silent for a moment as everyone stuffed their faces.

"Do you think Cynthia is nervous for tomorrow?" Serena asked.

"I haven't known her long, but she doesn't strike me as the nervous type. She seems very calm." Clemont said.

"Yeah. Cynthia is pretty chill about a lot of things. However, her calmness doesn't stem from an inflated ego. That's just who she is." Cilan said.

"Even if she was doing it to be cocky — which again, she isn't — she most certainly has the strength to back it up. She shouldn't be taken lightly." Brock added.

"Her Garchomp is incredible." Bonnie said. "She saved me!"

"Her Garchomp is her right hand." Dawn told her.

"Do you think she will beat Diantha tomorrow?" Bonnie asked.

"Every attack and command Cynthia calls is perfectly planned out. And every movement her Pokemon make is polished. She creates and modifies strategies in seconds in her head — everything is calculated. I don't see her losing her title— or any battle — for a long time." Brock said.

"You certainly speak highly of her." Serena commented.

"She deserves it. She's worked hard to raise her Pokemon to what they are. I've witnessed her battling first hand on multiple occasions." Dawn added in.

"Diantha won't go down without a fight though." Serena said.

"I'm sure she won't. And I still think Cynthia will have to work for every victory. I don't think victory will come easy to any of the Champions here. They're called Champions for a reason." Cilan said.

"No use debating about it now. We'll see it first thing tomorrow morning." Brock smiled.

"I'll see you all in the morning. Tomorrow should be an exciting day."

* * *

_**TUESDAY 9:00 AM - Cynthia VS Diantha FULL - Normal Field**_

"Good morning! We have an exciting day of battling ahead of us! Up first, we have Champion Cynthia of Sinnoh here and Champion Diantha of Kalos!" The announcer called.

The crowd erupted in applause as CYnthia and Diantha entered on opposite sides of the battlefield. Cynthia wore her signature all black outfit while Diantha wore her signature white fairy dress. Ash and his friends were all settled in the VIP box — their eyes glued to the field. Nobody had spoken since the announcer had begun speaking, and nobody had eaten any of their breakfast, despite them all having it sitting in front of them on the coffee table.

Cynthia and Diantha both held their first Pokeball in their hands.

"I am honored to get this opportunity to battle you today, Cynthia." Diantha told her.

" The honor is mine!" Cynthia said.

"That being said, I have no intentions of losing." Diantha said with a subtly playful smile.

Cynthia returned the expression. "Nor do I. Let's bring our best to this battle."

Diantha threw her Pokeball. "Gourgeist! I choose you!"

Cynthia threw her Pokeball as well. "Spiritomb! Come forth from the shadows!"

Gourgeist had a dark aura around it. However, Spiritomb did not. The purple Pokemon was surprisingly mellow. They stood on the battlefield and gave each other a nasty glare while they awaited a command from their trainer.

"You may have the first move." Cynthia said looking rather relaxed as she stood with her left hand on her hip.

"Thanks. Gourgeist, let's begin with shadow ball!"

"We'll use that as well."

Gourgeist and Spiritomb began forming a deep purple ball that radiated an ominous feeling.

"Go, Gourgeist!" Diantha called for the Pokemon to fire the attack.

"Hold it." Cynthia said.

The shadow ball approached Spiritomb, but the Pokemon did not move as per her trainer's orders. Cynthia's eyes were locked on the moving attack.

"What is Cynthia doing!?" Serena asked panickedly. "Spiritomb is going to get hit!"

"Look at Cynthia's focus. She has something planned." Brock said.

Right as the attack would have hit Spiritomb, Cynthia commanded it to fire. This caused a massive explosion, masking the battlefield in thick black smoke.

The audience could only see Cynthia and Diantha standing on either side of the field. The two Pokemon were completely hidden by the smoke. Diantha's eyes moved across the field, trying to search for the location of the Pokemon.

"Stay on the lookout, Gourgeist!" she called.

"Spiritomb. Now." Cynthia said calmly.

All of a sudden, Spiritomb flew up from out of the smoke. Now, her eyes were glowing brighter than ever, and her ghastly body radiated an eerie feel that sent chills up the audience members spines. She let out a wicked laugh before Cynthia gave her another command.

"Hypnosis!" Cynthia called.

"No way you're getting to us that easily." Diantha said. "Gourgeist, use protect!" The smoke was still thick and blocking the audience's view of Gourgeist.

"Silver wind!" Cynthia called.

Spiritomb flew into the smoke and fired off a devastatingly powerful silver wind. Diantha and the rest of the crowd had to brace themselves to keep from falling over. People's belongings that weren't secured to them or the chair went flying backwards and into the aisles of the stadium. Some small children were even lifted off of the ground at the force behind the silver wind. Ash had to grab Pikachu to keep him from getting launched backwards into the wall. The same went for Dawn and Pipliup, Bonnie and Dedenne, and Iris and Axew. Yet despite the flying objects, it was hauntingly beautiful. Cynthia stood in her place as calm as ever and with her hand on her hip. Her hair and long black coat blew wildly around her, but the rest of her was unmoving.

"That's the attack she must have been working on when we were flying overhead!" Clemont yelled over the noise.

"I don't think I've ever felt wind this strongly…" Dawn said holding Piplup in one hand and her hat in the other.

As quickly as the smoke came, it had vanished. It had sent Gourgeist flying into the wall of the arena, which nobody had seen happen because it happened faster than the smoke cleared. Diantha was shocked at the events that had occurred and spun around to check on her Pokemon.

"Shadow sneak!" Cynthia called. She didn't give Diantha a moment to recover from the wind. Immediately, Spiritomb sunk into the ground near a shadow that the scoreboard had formed on the ground. Like the ghost type it was, a jet black spot raced along the grounds in dizzying patterns before launching itself at lightning speed towards where Gourgeist was still gathering himself. Spiritomb leaped up out of the ground as if from nowhere, eyes glowing and radiating an evil aura. All of a sudden, phantom black fists struck Gourgeist from all different directions, pummeling him into the fall further.

"Use shadow sneak to escape that!" Diantha called. Her voice was frantic.

Spiritomb stopped attacking right as Gourgeist prepared to enter the ground as a shadow. Then flew back to the center of the battlefield and landed right as Gourgeist entered the ground.

"Dark pulse. The entire field." Cynthia told Spiritomb.

Diantha's face dropped. "Gourgeist, get out of there now!"

Diantha's command came too late and Gourgeist was just too slow. By the time the words left Diantha's mouth, a midnight black ring with an eerie purple glow pulsated across the entire field. It began to radiate up the walls, but Cynthia put a stop to that by simply telling Spiritomb not to get carried away. The Pokemon immediately obeyed and cut his attack so that the ring would dissipate by the end of the arena floor where it met the wall. Gourgeist was launched out of the floor and into the air. He came crashing back down to the arena floor, completely unconscious.

"Gourgeist is unable to battle! This round goes to Cynthia!" the referee called.

The crowd erupted in applause and cheers. Meanwhile, Diantha returned her Gourgeist and complimented its efforts.

"That was incredible power, Cynthia. Spiritomb are known to be difficult to train, let alone catch, but you've done the most incredible job with yours." Diantha told Cynthia as she reached for a new Pokeball.

"Thank you. Your Gourgeist is most certainly impressive as well." Cynthia smiled.

"Hawlucha! Your turn!" Diantha called letting it out.

Immediately, the two began. Meanwhile, Ash and his friends were still in awe at what had just happened.

"I didn't know Cynthia had a Spiritomb!" Ash commented. "Wasn't there that time we got chased and attacked by that angry one?"

Brock and Dawn both nodded.

"Yeah… it was really scary!" Dawn recalled.

"That lady said that Spiritomb are said to be the angry spirit of something that got trapped in that rock long ago. They're most certainly a force to be reckoned with." Brock explained.

"I wonder how she got hers…" Ash wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but she's certainly trained it well." Clemont added.

"Hey Brock, back to what you had told me earlier…" Serena began.

Brock looked her way. "What's up, Serena?"

"That whole battle there… did she really have that planned out in her head? How did she know what was going to happen?" Serena asked.

"Well, I can't say for certain it was. But she most certainly didn't wing that. With Spiritomb being able to fly, dodging that shadow ball shouldn't been effortless. I actually think the way Spiritomb's body is, it might have even been enough to pass right through it." Brock began. "But she chose to fire something against it, knowing some sort of explosion would occur."

"I don't know if she intended for the battle to play out exactly that way. She may have had multiple plans pre-made or she's just really quick at calculating strategies in the spur of the moment." Clemont said. "Diantha won't go down without a fight. This is too soon to call a winner."

"I hope we get to see Garchomp in action today!" Iris daydreamt.

"I'm sure she will. Garchomp is her right signature Pokemon." Dawn reassured her.

"Hm, I wonder how she got Garchomp to begin with." Iris asked.

"Who was her starter?" Bonnie questioned.

"Uh, I actually don't know… She's from here in Sinnoh. But I don't think she's ever spoken of which starter she had selected." Ash answered.

"What about Diantha?" Brock asked. "She doesn't have any Kalos starters, does she?"

"I mean, Gardevoir was kind of? She had caught her at a summer camp when it was still a Ralts. But she never mentioned who she used to catch Ralts or if it was more of a mutual agreement that they wanted to be friends." Clemont explained.

"And again, Diantha's Pokemon is down!" the announcer called. "Diantha is now down to having the use of only 4 Pokemon while Cynthia still has use of all 6!"

"Wait, what!?" everyone said as they redirected their attention back to the battlefield.

Sure enough, Hawlucha was being returned. Diantha didn't look panicked, but there was definitely worry hidden in her eyes. Cynthia's Spiritomb had just wiped out 2 of her Pokemon and had yet to receive a scratch. Diantha called out her next Pokemon — Gardevoir.

"Do you think she'll mega-evolve it?" Serena asked.

"I don't know. She typically doesn't like to… but in this situation, she may." Clemont responded.

"What do you think Cynthia will do? Diantha's Gardevoir will deal double damage to a ghost and dark type like Spiritomb!" Dawn commented.

"That's true, but also Gardevoir will take a significant amount of damage from Spiritomb's ghost attacks." Brock added.

"It's a tough decision. Maybe she has another Pokemon who can take out Gardevoir?" Serena wondered.

"That's also true. We don't know what Cynthia has." Cilan added.

The group refocused their attention to the field where Spiritomb was still fighting. It looked as if Spiritomb had taken some damage. However, Cynthia didn't look the least bit worried.

"Moonblast!" Diantha called.

Gardevoir fired a pink and purple sphere at Spiritomb with incredible power. Spiritomb tried to dodge, but Gardevoir teleported in front of Spiritomb and fired. Spiritomb was launched into the wall of the arena. He looked exhausted and banged up when he flew back into the air.

"That was a direct hit!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Excellent, Gardevoir!" Diantha praised her Pokemon.

"Will-o-wisp!" Cynthia called.

Spiritomb fired small purple and orange flames around the stage. Gardevoir effortlessly dodged them, but the quantity of flames grew.

Spiritomb launched a barrage of flames before turning to face Cynthia. She nodded, and Spiritomb disappeared into the Shadows again.

"Why a fire attack?" Dawn asked.

"And why did Cynthia just nod at Spiritomb? Is she able to give commands without speaking?" Clemont asked.

"It's evaluation time!" Cilan announced as his eyes sparkled.

"Oh boy…" Iris groaned.

"Clearly Cynthia is an incredible trainer. To begin, she was able to catch a Spiritomb. She and it must have been together for quite some time, and it appears she's able to communicate with it without the use of words! Truly an amazing bond! As for her strategy, she only used that will-o-wisp to distract Gardevoir and keep her busy! Now that Spiritomb is out of sight, she probably has some form of a sneak attack planned." Cilan carried on.

"Man… I forgot about Cilan's evaluation times…" Ash sweatdropped.

"But he's not wrong." Brock said crossing his arms.

"Dark pulse." Cynthia said.

"Teleport off the ground!" Diantha called seeing the ring pulsate across the ground.

In an instant, Gardevoir was airborne.

"Ominous wind!" Cynthia commanded.

Diantha's face dropped in realization what Cynthia's plan had been. Diantha didn't even get a moment to call out another attack or defense movement. All of a sudden, the air turned a ghostly purple. Gardevoir was thrown around the air effortlessly. She screeched as she took major damage from the ghost type attack.

"So that was her plan all along!" Brock exclaimed.

"That was genius…" Clemont commented.

When the attack ended, it was clear that both Pokemon were exhausted.

"Gardevoir took some serious damage from that…" Iris said.

"Yeah, but Spiritomb looks absolutely exhausted now." Cilan said.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but looks like I'm going to have to." Diantha said as she revealed her necklace. Gardevoir's chest began to glow and so did Diantha's necklace. "MEGA EVOLVE!"

A ring of colored light surrounded Gardevoir and all of a sudden, a new power coursed throughout the stadium. Cynthia only smiled at the sight.

"It's truly an incredible power. And I can feel the bond you have with your Gardevoir." she said to Diantha.

"Why thank you!" Diantha responded. She then redirected her attention to Gardevoir. "Use dazzling gleam!" she called.

A ring of light enveloped the stage as Gardevoir launched it's attack.

"Quickly Spiritomb, hide in the shadows." Cynthia called.

This time, Gardevoir was faster and Spiritomb took a hit. She skidded across the floor and crashed into the wall. She tried to rise, but fell as soon as she stood. The crown erupted in applause.

"Spiritomb is unable to battle! That means Diantha's Gardevoir is the winner of this round!" the referee called.

Cynthia nodded with a smile and returned her Spiritomb. "Thank you, my dear friend." She then released her next Pokemon. "Garchomp! Battle dance!"

"Here it is!" Bonnie yelled excitedly.

Garchomp appeared on the battlefield looking fiercer than ever. "GARRRR!"

"There it is! Cynthia's signature Pokemon!" the announcer yelled.

"Isn't a dragon type not a great matchup for a fairy type?" Serena questioned.

"Cynthia's Garchomp breaks the rules a little. Of course a Pokemnon can never really become immune to attacks, but Cynthia's Garchomp is so powerful that it can take and block multiple attacks that would normally deal lots of damage." Brock told her.

"Gardevoir also looks like it's fading…" Iris commented watching Gardevoir try to catch its breath.

"Well of course. It had taken a ton of damage from Spiritomb to begin with, and to mega-evolve takes a bunch more energy." Clemont explained.

"Gardevoir, moon blast!" Diantha called.

Garchomp didn't bother to move as the attack came barreling at her. Istead, she simply raised her fins to block her head. The attack hit with full power, but Garchomp didn't seem to care. She lowered her fins after the attack and glared at Gardevoir.

"Now, brick break!" Cynthia said.

"Get away!" Diantha yelled.

Garchomp flew with incredible speed at Gardevoir, her fin glowing. Gardevoir teleported into the air, but it was as if Garchomp knew exactly where Gardevour would appear. Gardevoir spun around in the air to see Garchomp was waiting. Her fin smashed into Gardevoir's head, sending her plummeting into the ground.

"Gardevoir is unable to battle!" the referee called.

"Cynthia's Garchomp pummels Gardevoir!" the voice over the PA system boomed.

"Her Garchomp is truly something else…" Serena commented.

Ash and his friends watched the rest of the battle in awe. Diantha sent out Aurorus, and Cynthia withdrew Garchomp and instead sent out her Lucario.

"She's got a Lucario?" Ash asked.

"I didn't know that." Dawn commented.

"Neither did I…" Iris said.

Lucario and Aurorus went back and forth with their attacks. Auroras put up a good fight, but in the end Lucario stood as the victor. His aura sphere attack was simply too strong. Diantha then sent out Tyrantrum. Lucario had to work extra hard to send Tyrantrum airborne due to the difference in size. Eventually, the two Pokemon were completely out of breath. They faced each other, neither moving. Their trainers remained silent as well. Then, together, they collapsed.

"Both sides are unable to battle, leaving this round as a draw!" the referee declared.

"That means… Diantha only has one Pokemon left… and Cynthia has 4!" Dawn realized.

"I don't think Diantha will be able to have a comeback. Not when Garchomp is still a threat. And Garchomp was returned before any damage was really taken." Cilan said.

The gang watched as Diantha sent out her final Pokemon — Goodra.

"I think Garchomp is going to be the one to end this battle. Dragon type versus dragon type.

"Garchomp! Battle Dance!"

Ash and his friends watched as Goodra and Garchomp took turns launching attacks. Garchomp took a little bit of damage here and there, but it wasn't even enough to leave a scratch. Then suddenly, Garchomp was sent flying into the air by Goodra's dragon pulse. Still airborne, Garchomp shook off the attack and reorganized herself.

"Now, use dragon rush!" Cynthia commanded.

Garchomp surrounded herself in blue energy and launched herself at Goodra who could only stare. Diantha called for it to dodge, but Goodra didn't move.

"Why didn't she listen!?" Bonnie asked with a worried tone.

"Dragon rush takes all of the energy and focuses it into one powerful attack. It can make opponents flinch." Brock explained.

"Like what happened to Paul's Weavile!" Dawn recalled.

Brock nodded right as Garchomp slammed into Goodra. Goodra was down for the count.

"Goodra is unable to battle! All of Diantha's Pokemon have been defeated, meaning that the victory goes to Cynthia!" the referee declared.

The stadium erupted in cheers as the two Champions met in the middle and shook hands.

"Your Pokemon are impressive. They are all very well trained, and I can sense the bond you have with each of them — especially Gardevoir." Cynthia told Diantha.

"Thank you. And I must return the compliment. You're a force to be reckoned with. I've never witnessed such power." Diantha told her.

* * *

The rest of the day flew as the battles continued. Diantha sat with Ash and his friends to watch. Lance faced off against Alder and ended up victorious. Alder was able to take out Gyarados and Aerodactyl using 3 of his own Pokemon, but Lance's Dragonite took out the remaining 3 of Alder's team. Then Steven and Cynthia ha 1. Steven's Aggron put up a good fight against Cynthia's Lucario, but Lucairo ultimately took the win.

"Why would Steven pick Aggron against a fighting and steel type like Lucario?" Dawn asked.

"Don't forget that these Pokemon all had to be pre-entered before the day of the battle. So these 1 on 1 battles have a little bit of chance incorporated." Clemont reminded her.

"So they are picking their teams at random without knowing who the opponent is using?" Bonnie questioned.

"Not quite." Diantha cut in. "We did have to have all of our Pokemon that we intended on using entered into the system. But we can also see who everyone has on hand here. So in my battle with Cynthia, I knew who her team consisted of and she knew who mine consisted of by the night before. We can change our Pokemon up to an hour before the battle, but we are notified if our opponent does so. In the 1 on 1 battles, we only get 1 change of Pokemon after we see who our opponent has." she explained.

"I see… so that way there's not a million exchanges occurring." Dawn said.

Diantha nodded. "Honestly though, I don't think anyone here made any exchanges. We all just picked our 6 and kept it that way."

"But also keep in mind to what Brock said before." Cilan chimed in. "These are all Pokemon that were raised and trained by Champions. A lot of them are strong enough to resist or take minimal damage from attacks that might normally knock out a regular Pokemon."

"Type advantage will always play a part, but here I don't think it influences the battle as much as it would normally." Brock added.

Ash and his friends then refocused their attention on the field as Diantha and Lance made their way onto the battlefield for the last battle of the day. Diantha battled with Gardevoir — whom she mega-evolved at the start of the battle — and Lance entered with Dragonite. Diantha gave it her all, when the first attack dealt incredible damage to Gardevoir, it was pretty clear who the winner would be. Lance's Dragonite had a power like no other. After a few minutes, Dragonite had only a couple injuries, while Gardevoir was barely hanging on. A few more commands were given, but finally Gardevoir fainted, giving Lance the victory. They met in the middle and shook hands.

"And that's it for today folks! Here's how the points line up! In first so far with 9 points, it's Lance! Cynthia is right behind with 6, followed by Diantha with 4, Alder with 3, and Steven with 2! We'll see you here tomorrow for the last day of our Tournament of Champions!" the announcer called.

* * *

_**Late That Evening - Approximately Midnight**_

The Pokemon League grounds which were once lit up and bustling were now dark and empty. The street lights had been dimmed giving the property a strange, creepy glow. A certain Champion however, was not sleeping like the rest of the population. She walked out of the hotel and towards the entrance of the stadium. She pulled her black cardigan closed as a cold breeze blew. Her blonde hair was in a loose ponytail which swung from side to side ever so gently with every step she took. She entered the Stadium and stood in the center of the battlefield. The motion sensored flood lights flickered on, and she released all of her Pokemon.

MEANWHILE:

Brock tossed and turned in his sleep until he eventually opened his eyes. Through the curtain of the room, he could see faint lights in the area. He stood from his bed, careful not to make any noise. He tiptoed out of the bedroom and into the living room part of the suite where he slipped his sneakers and sweatshirt on before exiting. He walked out into the cool night air.

"I wonder who's in the stadium at this hour." he wondered aloud as he made his way there.

He entered the stadium to see Cynthia and her entire team standing there. She turned upon hearing someone else enter.

"Cynthia?" he asked.

"I wasn't aware that anyone else was awake." she spoke. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you." he smiled and walked up to her.

"I guess you could call it reminiscing." she said with a light laugh.

"Do you mean from when you first became Champion?" he asked her.

"Mmhmm." she responded with a slight nod. "I felt like my Pokemon deserved a

genuine 'thank you' from me. This stadium is significant to many trainers, myself included." Cynthia paused for a moment but continued when Brock nodded for her to continue speaking. "I wouldn't be here competing without my Pokemon. I owe them my thanks with every battle I compete in." Cynthia turned to face her team who all were smiling in response. "I am not perfect. And I still make errors in judgement that results in them taking damage. But they still stand and fight for me."

"Cynthia, you truly are an amazing Champion. Anyone can see that you have an incredible bond with each and every one of your Pokemon. You can see that they not only respect you, but also have complete faith and trust in you." Brock told her.

"Thank you, Brock. That means a lot. As a child, I always dreamt of growing stronger and battling with the strongest team. But I also learned throughout my own journey that strength isn't power alone. It incorporated many more aspects than just the power behind your attacks."

"You really have a great grasp on the world and reality." Brock told her. "You know so much."

"I am still learning though. Everyday and every battle teaches me something new. No one person can know everything." Cynthia said with a smile.

Brock watched as Cynthia spoke softly to each one of her Pokemon. He watched as each one responded to her words and her touch. It was obvious they all loved and cared for her greatly. He smiled to himself. She would keep her title for a long time, if not forever. He also had a feeling in his gut that she was going to win the entire competition. When she was done, she returned them all and stood.

"Let's walk back to the hotel." she said.

The lights turned off as they exited the stadium and the walk back to the hotel was silent. They took the elevator up to the floor they were staying on and walked to where the hallway split.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Brock." she said.

Brock nodded as she turned to enter her room. "And Cynthia?"

She turned around.

"Thank you for letting me watch that interaction." he told her.

She nodded and gave him a small smile before disappearing into her room. Brock snuck back into the suite and crawled back into bed. He couldn't wait to see the battles in the morning.

* * *

_**WEDNESDAY 9:00 AM **_

Ash and his friends found their seats in the Cynthia's VIP box and settled down to watch. They all munched on breakfast as they watched Steven and Alder walked onto the field. Their heads turned as a door opened and Cynthia, Diantha, and Lance walked in.

"Morning, everyone!" they greeted.

"Good morning!" everyone responded.

The 3 Champions took seats around the box as the battle began.

"Steven will win this." Lance said out of nowhere.

"How can you tell?" Dawn asked.

"The battle has barely started!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Lance smirked.

"I just know." he said. He turned to Ash and his friends . "It's so great you all came out to watch." Lance said.

"We're really excited we got to come. The timing was perfect." Ash said with a smile. "You see, we had just gotten back from the Kalos Region. Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena were staying with me back in Pallet Town."

"I see." Lance said with a smile. "I didn't know you knew Cynthia."

"I met them back in Amity Square, by the ruins. Ash's rival, Paul, challenged me to a battle." Cynthia explained.

"I assume you wiped the floor with him?" Lance laughed.

"That's not how I would put it." Cynthia told him.

Lance laughed before standing up out of his seat. He went to the back of the box where the snacks and drinks were. "Anyone need anything while I'm up?"

Everyone shook their heads no. He grabbed himself a soda and a bag of chips before plopping himself back down. Once Alder's third Pokemon was knocked out, Cynthia stood.

"Where ya going?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"She's battling next." Dawn said.

Cynthia nodded. "I'm up against Alder i 1." she said. "There's a few things I need to take care of before my battle."

"Good luck, Cynthia!" everyone called as she left.

"I wonder who she plans on using." Dawn wondered once Cynthia was out of the room.

"She'll probably use her Garchomp." Ash said. "It's her strongest Pokemon, isn't it?"

"She won't." Lance said from where he was sitting.

"Oh, did she tell you who she's using?" Iris asked Lance.

He shook his head before smirking. "No."

"Intuition about type matchups?" Cilan questioned.

"Nope." Lance responded.

"Then how do you know!?" Bonnie asked, clearly frustrated.

"Because she'll be against me later today. And she knows I'll have my Dragonite." Lance said with a cocky yet joking grin.

Everyone scrambled for their programs. Sure enough, Cynthia and Lance were the final battle of the Tournament.

"I actually have no idea who she plans on using against Alder. But it for sure won't be Garchomp." Lance said.

Before they knew it, the battle had ended with Steven emerging victorious — just as Lance had predicted. Everyone scrambled out of the box to get lunch and snacks before the next battle began. Once everyone had food, they climbed back into the VIP box to watch the rest of the day's battles. Cynthia had won her match against Alder by having had selected her Milotic to face off against his Volcarona. Volcarona put up a great fight for being part fire type against a water type, but Milotic's newly learned hydro pump attack ended the battle. Steven and Diantha battled hard with the match ending with Steven as the winner by the slightest bit. He had used his Skarmory while Diantha had fought with Aurorus. Finally, it was time for the final battle. Cynthia and Lance were tied in the lead with 9 points each. The two stepped out onto the field. Cynthia was completely calm as she picked up her first Pokeball. Lance had a slight smirk on his face. The battlefield dropped down and a new one came in its place. The crowd gasped, as they had never seen this type of battlefield before. Rather than being split in half, it was split into quarters. One quarter had water, one quarter had grass, one quarter had rock, and the last quarter had scattered boulders all of which were on fire.

"This battle decides who the best trainer in the 6 Regions are…" Brock commented.

"I can't stand the suspense…" Bonnie said as she bit her lip.

Cynthia sent out her Spiritomb to begin while Lance sent out his Gyarados. Every command called out between the 2 trainers was called with confidence and the Pokemon obeyed perfectly. The timing of every attack was meticulous, and every motion the Pokemon made was polished and planned. Neither Pokemon dared to step out of place. Eventually, Spiritomb was knocked out, but Gyarados was barely holding on.

"Gastrodon! Come forth from the seas!" Cynthia sent out Gastrodon next who landed and instantly used earthquake to take out Gyarados.

Lance returned his Gyarados and sent out Dragonair in its place.

"Man, that earthquake attack was something else…" Brock commented.

"I could feel the shaking even from up here." Dawn gulped.

"And that's after Cynthia told Gastrodon not to let it's effects go off of the battlefield." Clemond added.

Ash and his friend's eyes were glued to the battlefield for the remainder of the time. Gastrodon had bested Dragonair but was knocked out by Lance's second Dragonair. The second Dragonair had lost to Milotic and it's ice beam attack. Milotic continued on to take down Aerodactyl, but even though landing good hits with water attacks on Charizard, was taken down by it's hyper beam. Cynthia sent out Roserade which despite had an incredible amount of power, just couldn't fight against Lance's Charizard's fire blast. Lucario finally took down Charizard but fell as well, with that match-up resulting in a draw.

"Wait… they both have used 5 Pokemon… haven't they?" Iris asked as they Champions withdrew their fainted Pokemon.

"Yeah… so that means…" Dawn began.

"It's time to see Garchomp!" Bonnie exclaimed excitedly.

"Don't forget Lance has his Dragonite though…" Clemont recalled.

"They definitely did that intentionally…" Iris commented.

"Whether they did or didn't, this is how it is. This matchup should be interesting. The

flying part of Dragonite doesn't really help it or hurt it, but two dragon types clashing will be intense." Cilan said with a bead of sweat forming as both of the Champions reached for their last Pokeball.

"What are they doing?" Dawn asked.

Everyone redirected their attention back to the field — or rather to where the field once was. The multi elemental field was sinking below the ground again.

"They're changing field types? Now!?" Iris questioned.

"I think they want a fair battle with no hazards on the stage. This is a big moment that will go down in history. What happens over these next few minutes will determine a big title." Brock informed.

Once the battlefield had been set to a normal terrain, the Champions were given the go ahead by the referee to reveal their final Pokemon.

"Dragonite! Come help me out!" Lance called as his Dragonite appeared looking as menacing as it could.

"Garchomp! Battle dance!" Cynthia released her Garchomp who appeared looking scarier than ever. Her yellow eyes were piercing as it glared at Dragonite and let out a growl.

"Wow! I get to see not 1 but 2 incredibly powerful dragon types!" Iris said excitedly. "This'll help me to become a Dragon Master!"

Cilan smiled and nodded at Iris. "And these are the top 2 trainers in the world right now that you get to watch. This surely is a great learning experience for all of us!" When Cilan finished speaking, he turned back to face the battlefield.

Neither Cynthia nor Lance called any attacks. They stood there — simply scanning the field over and over and over again. Brock watched Cynthia closely. Her eyes were flickered from Garchomp to Dragonite quickly. Then, she closed them. Lance's eyes stayed focused on Garchomp.

"Why aren't they doing anything?" Iris asked.

"Neither one wants to initiate the battle. I think they're both running through strategies in their head." Clemont guessed.

"Someone has to start it." Dawn said.

"Wait… are Cynthia's eyes closed!?" Ash said leaning forwards a bit.

"... Yeah…" Serena responded.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. There was a fire behind her eyes, and she looked more focused than Ash and his friends had ever seen her.

"Garchomp, use brick break!" She called — her voice clear and sure.

"Dragonite, you too!" Lance called swinging his arm out.

The two Pokemon flew at each other and clashed. When it was clear that neither of them would win, they flew around in the air, making contact and clashing every couple seconds. Sparks flew whenever the brick break attacks made contact.

"Fire punch!" Lance called.

Garchomp blocked the attack with ease by raising her fin. Dragonite continued to bombard Garchomp with fire punches but Garchomp successfully blocked each one. With Dragonite's last strike, she used her fin to repel Dragonite, sending him flying a few feet away. Dragonite used its wings to resteady itself, but Garchomp was already charging at it.

"Garchomp, use dragon rush!" Cynthia commanded.

Garchomp effortlessly surrounded herself with the blue energy flames as she continued to fly towards Dragonite. Dragonite braced for the attack, knowing that it wouldn't have enough time to dodge it fully. Dragonite crossed it's arms and took the attack. He struggled to hold back the attack, but successfully did so for most of it. At the end, Garchomp used one last burst of energy to push forwards once more, pushing through Dragonite's defense and sending him flying towards the ground. Dragonite landed hard and began to skid and bounce across the arena floor. Mid bounce, he caught himself, put his arm down, and flipped himself back up into a standing position. Garchomp landed back in front of Cynthia and awaited her next order.

"Dragonite use dragon rage!" Lance yelled.

"Dodge and use dragon claw!" Cynthia called.

Garchomp took off flying towards Dragonite as he fired purple and yellow flames at Garchomp. Garchomp zigzagged around the stage to try to get closer to Dragonite as her claws glowed purple. Any flames that came close to her she swiped away with her dragon claw attack, and some she tried to block with her fin.

"Don't let Garchomp get any closer!" Lance told Dragonite.

Dragonite then tripled the amount of flames coming out of his attack. Garchomp began slicing through the fire faster, but the dragon rage attack soon overwhelmed Garchomp. She was sent flying backwards as flames surrounded her.

"Push off the wall and try again!" Cynthia called.

Garchomp's eyes opened upon hearing a new command from her trainer. "Gar!" she responded as she flipped her body backwards and planted her feet on the wall for a split second before propelling herself back at Dragonite. She slashed at Dragonite at a rapid pace. Dragonite attempted to leap backwards and away from the never-ending dragon claws. Some of her strikes made contact and Dragonite screeched when they did.

"Catch it!" Lance called.

"Don't let dragon claw fade!" Cynthia told Garchomp.

Dragonite grabbed Garchomp's fin in his hands and held it. Garchomp tried pulling back, but Dragonite didn't let go. Lance met Cynthia's eyes and smirked. Cynthia frowned ever so slightly.

"Ice punch." Lance said with the slightest bit of arrogance to his voice.

Cynthia's eyes widened. "Garchomp get away!" Her voice held a sense of urgency, but held no panic.

Garchomp twisted out of Dragonite's grip but wasn't quite out of the danger zone. Dragonite directed his ice punch downward where Garchomp had just escaped to. The ice punch landed on her leg, causing her to screech in pain.

"Use sandstorm!" Cynthia called.

Garchomp began to throw dirt and sand from the arena floor at Dragonite. Sand flew into his eyes and his arms immediately flew to his face to try to wipe the sand out.

"Clear your eyes now!" Lance yelled.

"Dragon tail!" Cynthia called.

Garchomp stood up and began to prepare her dragon tail attack when Cynthia called for her to stop. "Use dragon pulse!"

Garchomp released purple rings of energy at Dragonite which hit him directly in the face since he couldn't see them coming. Dragonite shook his head after the attack ended and began to slowly open his eyes — blinking rapidly in the process.

"Quickly! Draco meteor!" Cynthia didn't give Dragonite a moment.

Garchomp fired a ball of energy into the sky which then exploded into multiple streams of light that came raining down. Being unable to see, Dragonite took multiple hits. One energy beam landed right at Dragonite's feet and the force of it's explosion send Dragonite flying into the arena wall. After the attack, Garchomp stood up and faced where Dragonite had been launched to. Dragonite pulled itself out of the indent of the wall and stood again. The two Pokemon faced each other, both completely out of breath and absolutely exhausted. Both had been injured significantly and had scratches that covered their bodies.

"Look at Garchomp's leg…" Ash commented.

"It's… it's got ice on it!" Bonnie cried.

"Aren't ice attacks super effective against dragon types?" Dawn asked worriedly.

"Yeah…" Iris gulped.

"I think that freeze is bothering Garchomp more than the actual ice punch bothered her." Brock commented.

"Wait… could that be why Cynthia stopped the dragon tail attack!?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. Garchomp would have had to balance on one leg or use both legs to spin around with any sort of force behind the attack. Either that hurt leg is her dominant one, or Cynthia knew that the dragon tail attack's effects would be cut in half by only having half the force behind it. However, to use draco meteor, all Garchomp had to do was look up and fire." Cilan evaluated.

"Let's finish this with dragon rush!" Lance called.

Dragonite surrounded itself with the blue energy and began to fly at Garchomp. Cynthia said nothing as Dragonite approached.

"Isn't she going to tell her to move!?" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Garchomp's strong but I don't think she can take another hit!" Brock said frantically. Even he had no idea what Cynthia had planned.

"Get ready." Cynthia finally said. When Dragonite was about 25 feet away, Cynthia swung her arm up for emphasis and pointed at Dragonite. "Garchomp, Outrage!"

"Wait, what!?" Lance was taken back.

Garchomp and the entire area surrounding her suddenly became enveloped in bright red and purple flames.

"What's Outrage?" Serena asked watching the flames around Garchomp grow larger and radiate even more power.

"It's arguably one of the most powerful dragon type moves out there!" Iris exclaimed.

"It fires in 3 devastating waves. But after those waves are fired, the user becomes confused, so it's risky." Cilan answered Serena.

"It's… it's so strong! I can feel it!" Bonnie said gritting her teeth.

"Full power, Dragonite! Break through that outrage attack!" Lance yelled.

Right as Dragonite's dragon rush was about to crash into Garchomp, the red and purple flames shot out in a highly concentrated attack with a flamethrower like appearance and right into Dragonite. The first wave was strong enough to break Dragonite out of his dragon rush attack, and the second 2 waves made direct contact with Dragonite, launching him across the stadium once again. His body skidded across the arena floor, but this time he couldn't save himself. Dragonite's giant body slid into the ground, making a huge indentation as his body traveled and kicking up an enormous amount of dust. The whole crowd was on the edge of their seats as the dust blew around the stage. Cynthia's eyes were covered by her hair, and Lance's face had a shadow over his eyes so nobody could see their full facial expression. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the dust settled. Dragonite lay completely unconscious where he had landed. Garchomp however, stood tall surrounded by the fading flames of outrage. She opened her fins and threw her head back to let out a terrifying roar of celebration.

"Lance's Dragonite is unable to battle, meaning that Cynthia is the victor of this battle! This also means that the results of our very first Tournament of Champions are official! Please standby for the official results. All Champions please come to the stage!" The announcer called.

In the meantime, Lance returned his Dragonite and praised it for it's efforts. About a minute later, the screens that once followed the battle all lit up once again. Mr. Goodshow and some officials of the Pokemon League set up the winner's podium.

"We have your official Tournament of Champion results! Tied in 4th place with 5 points each, we have Champion Diantha from the Kalos Region and Champion Alder from the Unova Region!"

The crowd cheered as Alder and Diantha stepped up next to the podium and smiled for the picture. Mr. Goodshow presented them each with a glass medal. They both bowed as he placed the medals around their necks.

"In third place with 8 points, we have Champion Steven from the Hoenn Region!" the announcer called.

Steven wore a polite smile as Mr. Goodshow placed the bronze medal around his neck and the cameras snapped pictures.

"Then you saw it here folks. This battle decided our top 2. In second, with 10 points, we have Champion Lance from Kanto!"

Lance stepped up to the second place stand on the podium and smiled for the pictures. He bent over so Lance could place his silver medal around his neck.

"And finally, the moment you've all been waiting for, your Ultimate Champion of Champions, with 12 points winning every battle she fought here, it's Cynthia from the Sinnoh Region!" the announcer practically yelled into the microphone.

The audience completely lost it. People were clapping, cheering, screaming, and chanting as Cynthia took her place on the top of the podium. Mr. Goodshow placed a gold medal around her neck and then she stood tall with her Garchomp right behind her. Cameras were flashing pictures from every possible angle. All of the Champions smiled and waved and bowed for the cameras. Confetti cannons were fired and Pokemon who belonged to League officials launched attacks into the air that burst and caused a sea of sparkles to rain down. Each Champion stood tall and smiled bigger than they ever had before as the sun set on the Sinnoh League grounds.

* * *

_**WEDNESDAY 8:30 PM - The Sinnoh League Stadium Banquet Hall**_

Ash and his friends walked into the Sinnoh League Banquet Hall which was already bustling with people. Reporters, guests, and trainers all mingled as waiters and waitresses walked around offering drinks and hors d'oeuvres. The crystal chandelier above glistened and sparkled as light danced off of the crystals. The tiles on the floor were shined to perfection, allowing anyone who looked down to see their reflection. Ash looked back at all of his friends who were admiring the surroundings. Serena wore a long red dress with short, slightly puffed out sleeves. Her hair was tied back with a matching red ribbon into a high ponytail that was curled at the end. Dawn wore a dress that resembled her Pokemon Contest outfit, however this one was longer. Iris was dressed in a long white and pink dress that almost looked like a kimono. There was a large, pink bow that tied in the front of the dress by her abdomen. Then Bonnie was in a long dress that's black on top and white on the bottom. The girls were all beaming as they looked around. Brock, Cilan, Clemont, and Ash all wore some form of a suit.

"You all look great!" Ash complimented the girls.

The girls all smiled and thanked him.

"It feels so weird being all dressed up." Clemont commented.

"I bet you guys are used to it from the Pokemon Contests and Pokemon Showcases, right?" Brock asked Dawn and Serena.

"Yeah! But this is more of a formal event than a performance." Serena smiled.

"Has anyone seen Cynthia?" Ash asked looking around. "I want to thank her again for inviting us to be here in the first place."

"I want to thank her as well." Serena added.

"I think we all do. And congratulate her on her achievement of course. This is a big deal." Brock said.

Everyone's eyes immediately began to scan the crowds. They spotted Alder hitting on a waitress, and they found Steven and Lance ordering drinks at the bar. Finally, Ash spotted them as they entered the room.

"Cynthia! Diantha! Hey!" Ash waved.

The two girls walked over to Ash and his friends.

"Wow! You look so beautiful!" Serena's eyes sparkled as she looked at their outfits.

"Like princesses!" Bonnie exclaimed.

Cynthia wore a floor length, black sparkly evening gown. It had a slit down the side, allowing her right leg to be seen, and a deep V-neck top. She had matching black, sparkly gloves on and held a gold wallet in her right hand. Her golden hair rested over her left shoulder and twisted ever so slightly at the bottom. She still had her signature black, fuzzy collar on but it had been decorated with sparkles to match the dress, and she had a teardrop shaped necklace on as well. Diantha wore a white, form fitting, halter top dress that stopped mid-thigh. It had a long train attached to the back that reached to the floor. She wore a navy blue, sparkly scarf, golden hoop earrings, and a golden bracelet. Both Champions had a little bit of eyeliner and lip gloss on, but besides that, their faces were natural.

They both smiled and blushed. "Thank you!"

"So Cynthia, how does it feel?" Iris asked her.

"I'm not quite sure." Cynthia said. "I've most certainly enjoyed the journey, and I never imagined I would be in this position. Really, it's all thanks to my Pokemon. I wouldn't be here without them. I'm so proud of every one of them, and I have no words to describe how grateful I am to them."

"You're amazing!" Dawn said.

"Cynthia?" Ash asked. "I wanted to thank you again for inviting me and my friends to come watch. These past days have been such a great experience for me and Pikachu to watch; and all of my Pokemon really."

"Yes! Thank you, again!" Iris, Serena, and Bonnie said.

"It was super awesome! It was so cool to see your Garchomp battle in real life!" Clemont told her.

"I'm gonna miss Garchomp! She was fun to play with in the forest!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Would you like to play with her again, one more time?" Cynthia asked Bonnie.

Bonnie nodded. Cynthia lead them out of the banquet hall and into the courtyard. It was beautifully lit for the party, but everyone was inside socializing.

"How did you two escape the never ending interviews and questions?" Dawn jokingly asked as she looked into the window to see that the 3 Champions had been completely surrounded by fans.

"We came late." Diantha joked. "I'm used to avoiding people."

Cynthia released Garchomp from her Pokeball. She had been treated by Nurse Joy so her injuries were gone, but she looked tired. "Bonnie missed you, Garchomp."

Bonnie leapt onto Garchomps back and gave her a hug from behind. "You were awesome today!"

"Gar~" Garchomp responded happily.

"Clemont! I have to catch a Garchomp now!" Bonnie said from Garchomp's back.

"Why don't you start with a Gible?" Clemont suggested.

"But it can't catch me. And I can't get a piggyback ride from it… I would crush the Gible." Bonnie pouted.

"I know!" Clemont exclaimed. "The future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic gear, on!" Soon enough, Clemont had constructed a metal, life sized Garchomp. "Here! Now you can climb on it and it can fly up to catch you if you fall out of a tree or something."

"Wow, that's incredible!" Iris said as she stared in awe at the invention. "It looks so real!"

Bonnie climbed down from Cynthia's Garchomp and jumped onto the metal one. "Let's fly!" She pressed a button on metal Garchomp's back, and all of a sudden the robot launched itself into the air. Bonnie squealed with delight as metal Garchomp flew around but then all of a sudden, smoke began to form from it's legs and tail.

"Uh-oh…" Clemont panicked as he began frantically pressing buttons on his remote.

"Make it land, Clemont!" Serena yelled at him.

"I'm trying!" he said frantically. Then, the remote exploded.

"Bonnie, jump off before it explodes!" Brock yelled.

Bonnie shut her eyes and threw herself off the side of the metal Garchomp. "Somebody catch me!" she screamed.

Cynthia's Garchomp went to move, but Cynthia herself took off running towards where Bonnie was falling. She made it just in time, and Bonnie landed in her arms. The force caused Cynthia to fall to one knee, but both girls remained unharmed.

Diantha, Ash, his friends, and Garchomp ran over. "Cynthia! Bonnie, are you alright!?" Cilan called.

Cynthia helped Bonnie to her feet before picking herself up and brushing herself off. Luckily, because it was a concrete path that they were on, neither of their outfits were dirtied. Cynthia's knee however, was scratched up and beginning to bleed from when the impact caused her to fall.

"Cynthia, your leg!" Iris said looking down ad the small blood droplets that landed on the path.

"It's not a problem. All that matters now is that everyone's alive and nobody for seriously hurt. I've been injured worse than a scratch before. It's not a big deal."

"Why not let Garchomp catch her? She went to." Clemont asked.

"Garchomp is still recovering from today's battle. She took a good beating from Dragonite, and there was no reason to make her strain herself." Cynthia explained.

"Wow! Strong, beautiful, and considerate!" Bonnie's eyes glistened. She got on one knee and grabbed Cynthia's hand. "You're a real keeper! Will you please, take care of my brother~?"

"Bonnie! I told you to stop!" Clemont grabbed her and carried her away.

"Come. Let's return to the party." Diantha said with a light laugh.

Diantha and the gang headed back inside, but Cynthia remained outside. Ash stopped upon seeing that she wasn't following. He stopped and walked back towards her.

"You alright, Cynthia?" he asked.

"Yes. Just thinking a little bit." she responded.

"I just wanted to say, your Pokemon are powerful, but what stands out to me the most, is your style. You battle with your Pokemon in mind at all times. It's incredible to watch and your success proves that having a strong bond with your Pokemon is really important." Ash told her.

Cynthia smiled at him. "Thank you, Ash. I learned right when I started my journey that having your Pokemon trust you would be a big part of the challenge of being a Pokemon Trainer. You and your friends have a very good grasp on that concept. It's truly great to see."

"Cynthia, I've always wondered. What age did you become the Sinnoh Champion?"

"Let's see… I think I was 10."

"Really!?" Ash asked.

Cynthia nodded. "It was certainly an interesting journey. Things have changed a lot since then as well."

"Who was your starter Pokemon?" he asked.

"It actually was Garchomp, back when she was a Gible." Cynthia responded.

"You didn't choose a starter Pokemon from Professor Rowan? How come?"

"It's a bit of a story that's not important right now." she told him with a slight smile. "Come, let's go inside."

Ash and Cynthia went back inside to enjoy the rest of the party. Cynthia went around the party and conversed with everyone she knew before reconvening with her fellow Champions. Reporters begged for a group picture, and all of the Champions complied. They posed in front of the massive, golden plaque that read "Welcome To The Sinnoh League; Where Champions Are Made" Cynthia was front and center, wearing a soft smile on her face.

"Cynthia barely looks happy…" Bonnie whispered. "Is she alright?"

Cilan looked but then turned to Bonnie and smiled. "Look a little closer."

"Her eyes are practically sparkling." Clemont commented.

"Cynthia's not the type to show much emotion." Dawn began. "I imagine she's trying to stay professional. But you can totally see it in her eyes."

"I'm willing to bet she's thinking back to her journey and everything she's been through to get to where she is now. She's worked hard, and this is the result." Brock said.

After the picture was done, everyone returned to the Banquet Hall to eat their dessert. Ash and his friends mingled a little bit more but around 10, everyone had started to leave. Ash and his friends walked back into the hotel before collapsing into a deep sleep.

The next morning, it was time to depart. Ash and his friends had packed their belongings and were waiting outside the hotel to say goodbye to Cynthia. Diantha and Alder had departed last night so they had already said their goodbyes. Soon enough, Cynthia walked out of the hotel with her bag in hand.

"Hope you all slept well." she said with a smile.

"We did! Thank you!" Dawn said.

"We all just want to congratulate you and thank you again for this experience!" Cilan told her.

"Anytime. Again, I'm really glad you all could come." Cynthia said. She turned to Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie. "And it was really great to meet you guys as well."

"Where are you off to?" Brock asked her.

"I'm headed back to Celestic Town for a while. There's still some research I want to finish." Cynthia responded. "What about all of you?"

"I'm headed back to school to become a Pokemon Doctor. This timing just happened to work out that this was my summer break." Brock said.

"Iris and I are actually going to head over to the Johto Region!" Cilan told her.

"And I'm headed to Hearthome City for my next Pokemon Contest." Dawn said with a smile.

Cynthia smiled and nodded at everyone's future plans before turning to Ash. "And you?"

Ash exchanged glances with Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena. "We were talking last night and we were gonna head over to Veilstone for a few days. We wanted to check out the Department Store."

"I want to see if they have any cool accessories for my next Pokemon Showcase." Serena said with a smile.

"I'm not sure what we're gonna do after that though." Clemont added.

"If you guys want, you're welcome to come stay with me in Celestic Town. I don't know if you guys are interested in ancient history but I'd be happy to share some theories and legends with you." Cynthia told them.

"That would be awesome!" Ash exclaimed.

"I'd love to learn about Sinnoh's legends!" Clemont said excitedly.

"Me as well!" Serena said with a smile.

"Then it's decided. We'll head over to Celestic Town after Jubilife!" Ash said with a fist pump.

"I look forward to your arrival. Call the Celestic Town Pokemon Center when you're leaving Veilstone. Nurse Joy will notify me so I can male preparations for your arrival." Cynthia told them.

"Sounds good." Clemont nodded.

Everyone began to head their separate ways with a wave. New adventures awaited each of Ash's friends and they couldn't wait to see what the future held. As Ash and his friends walked away from Cynthia and towards Jubilife, they couldn't help but look forward to seeing her again soon. Suddenly, Ash stopped and spun around

"One last thing, Cynthia." he called.

Cynthia turned around and waited for Ash to speak.

Ash pointed at Cynthia and gave her a competitive smile. "When I see you in Celestic Town, I want to battle!"

_**THE END**_


End file.
